Lovely to look at; frustratingly inaccurate.
A brother and sister walk through woods and town, acknowledging autumn and welcoming winter in this picture book.
Expanding on Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn (2016), author/illustrator Pak continues the theme, this time with a black-haired, brown-skinned boy and girl who ramble through woods, town, and countryside as they converse with the trees, birds, horses, sheep, deer, snow, and wind, saying goodbye to fall and hello to winter. The digitally enhanced watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are as quiet and graceful as the slow passage of the seasons. Diversity, both ethnically and culturally (a Kwanzaa kinara, a Jewish menorah, and a star-topped Christmas tree are all included in the illustrative details, as are various colors of people), is well-represented. But many of the nature facts in the text are inaccurate. Cardinals don’t “fly far, far south,” daisies of the type illustrated do not bloom in the late autumn, and autumn evenings (as opposed to nights) are shorter, not longer. Such lapses make the whole story suffer. Factual errors aside, the story flows well—its cadence is serene and accepting, with a pleasant, otherworldly quality that is reinforced by the soft double-spread illustrations.
Lovely to look at; frustratingly inaccurate. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-416-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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