THE THREE LITTLE FISH AND THE BIG BAD SHARK

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THE THREE LITTLE FISH AND THE BIG BAD SHARK

Name: THE THREE LITTLE FISH AND THE BIG BAD SHARK
Author: Ken Geist
ISBN: 978-0-439-71962-9

by Ken Geist ; illustrated by Julia Gorton ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2007

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This aquatic update on the classic pig story is sure to enthrall readers young and old. When Jim, Tim and Kim set out to make their own homes in the sea, each builds with a different material. Jim’s seaweed house quickly succumbs to the jaws of the Big Bad Shark, as does the sand house of his brother, Tim. Both narrowly escape to the safety of their sister Kim’s house—a sunken ship. A surprise ending will delight those cheering on the piscine trio. Geist’s text is close enough to the original to be familiar, yet original enough to be enjoyable, especially when it comes to the beloved refrains: “Not by the skin of my finny fin fin.” Gorton’s digital illustrations are bright blocks of color and shape, and the facial expressions lend much to the tale. Great for educators teaching comparisons, and for ocean lovers. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-439-71962-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE WAS A SILLY UNICORN WHO WANTED TO FLY
by Ken Geist ; illustrated by Eric Barclay

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO'S WHO?
by Ken Geist & illustrated by Henry Cole

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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TURKEY TROUBLE

From the Turkey Trouble series

by Wendi Silvano and illustrated by Lee Harper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2009

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Turkey’s in the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving...and you’re the main course.” Accordingly, Turkey tries on disguise after disguise, from horse to cow to pig to sheep, at each iteration being told that he looks nothing like the animal he’s trying to mimic (which is quite true, as Harper’s quirky watercolors make crystal clear). He desperately squeezes a red rubber glove onto his head to pass as a rooster, only to overhear the farmer suggest a poultry plan B when he’s unable to turn up the turkey. Turkey’s horrified expression as he stands among the peppers and tomatoes—in November? Chalk it up to artistic license—is priceless, but his surroundings give him an idea. Good fun, but it may lead to a vegetarian table or two. (Picture book. 4-8)