Sure to have kids imagining what kinds of underpants other species might wear.
Will Bear Cub ever find the owner of the pair of underpants hanging in the tree outside his cave?
His distressed expression will show readers that he takes this job seriously—someone somewhere has a bare bum. In a pattern that repeats, Bear Cub asks his friends in turn if the tighty whities happen to belong to them. When they say no, he asks, “Are you sure?” and they give the reason why they can’t possibly be theirs: There’s no hole for Squirrel’s tail, Bat’s underpants glow in the dark, they smell too good to be Skunk’s, and Salmon wears a swimsuit instead. They don’t belong to Turtle, Owl, Snake, Beaver, or Moose, either. So, Bear Cub heads home…to a surprise (maybe not for close observers) revelation from Momma Bear, who, strangely enough, wears no underwear herself. The diversity of underpants on display will keep readers in stitches, and the animals’ reactions to Bear Cub’s inquiries about something so personal are both very funny and so true to life for kids: Turtle seems almost prudish, Salmon is joyfully matter-of-fact, Skunk seems proud of their characteristic trait, and Beaver is terribly shy. Though those reading aloud may get tired of the word underpants, repeated 34 times not including the title, kids will find it hysterical, and the repetition supports new readers.
Sure to have kids imagining what kinds of underpants other species might wear. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984831-89-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
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
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
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