A powerful message about listening and valuing your own abilities, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations.
A lion cub finds a reason to roar in this picture book.
Leo the lion cub doesn’t roar like his brother and sister. “Nobody will ever respect a quiet lion,” his father complains. But Leo’s mother knows he will roar when he’s ready. On the following pages, Leo gets his family out of trouble with his listening skills, helping them evade human hunters and hungry hyenas. But despite Leo’s heroics, when it’s time for the lions’ roaring competition, his father is angry that the cub won’t participate. Ashamed, Leo runs to the top of a hill, where he hears a forest fire. He knows the only way he can warn his family is to finally roar. Leo again saves the day, but even though he has loudly roared, he returns to his quiet, listening self. Tana deftly balances the tale of Leo’s strengths with the need to speak up when it’s important without ever undermining or devaluing the cub’s personality. As with the author’s previous book, Monsters Are Afraid of Babies (2019), the accessible text is characterized by short sentences with a few advanced vocabulary words (stalked, approaching). Debut illustrator Fox’s highly textured, geometric images hint at a papercut tradition, which gives the potent story a folktale flavor. (The story design is by Molleur.) Lap readers are sure to page through the beautiful pictures, which invite kids to sink in and immerse themselves in Leo’s vivid world.
A powerful message about listening and valuing your own abilities, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations.Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-950033-15-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: New Classics Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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