The pacing and feelings ring true in this heartwarming depiction of someone accustomed to being the center of his universe...
In this French-Canadian import, when a mysterious pod appears on the branch outside his home, a squirrel must decide the limits of his responsibility for the creature within.
At first, Otto steps over the sphere. Even when it hatches and a white fur ball calls him “Mommy,” the homeowner rushes inside: “Otto wasn’t curious, but he was cautious.” Eventually relenting, he offers the baby a spot in his hammock. Each day, the critter grows at an alarming rate, eating hazelnuts, occupying more sleeping space, and inadvertently breaking furniture. All the while, the bushy-tailed protagonist searches for the mother, to no avail. Conflicted, but cramped, Otto stomps off, ignoring his own advice to be watchful of the eagle. In the nick of time, he is rescued from menacing talons, and Otto decides that renovations to expand his property are in order. Convincing dialogue provides the emotional arc, while Dubuc’s pencil-and-watercolor scenes depict the cozy woodland life that animal lovers fantasize about. Close-ups reveal curtains at the home’s window and a lantern illuminating the entrance; Pio, as the creature calls himself, prepares a soothing vegetable stew and strings colorful yard decorations to please his hardworking host. Longer views show the bulk of the tree and the starlit sky beyond.
The pacing and feelings ring true in this heartwarming depiction of someone accustomed to being the center of his universe but who responds to the impulse of hospitality and friendship. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61689-760-4
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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