Nature lovers and advocates of independent learning will find much to love in this tale.
A child skips, hikes, and tumbles through the myriad sounds of an outdoor afternoon in this debut picture book.
The subject of this tale is not the kid—it is the child’s anthropomorphized red shoes, the “perfect pair for the day,” which carry the White, brown-haired, gender-neutral protagonist through digital paintings of lush natural landscapes. The shoes “hear a song” comprised of the sounds made by whooshing trees, rolling rocks, chirping birds, buzzing bees, snapping grasshoppers, and more. Samuels’ rhyming verse takes readers on an unchaperoned romp that lasts all day until a rainstorm. The child plays in the rain and later sprints home. The angle of most of the images slants downward toward Earth and depicts what the red shoes “see” and “hear,” making for an intriguing view of the natural world. Occasional vistas show unlikely high mountains and idyllic, apparently uninhabited forests. Seasonal signifiers are mixed: There are autumnal brown leaves and grass but also bees alighting on new flowers. Heiduczek’s evocative, lineless pictures with easily named animals and distinctly shaped leaves and plants provide much for young readers to discuss, and satisfying natural noises make for a lively read-aloud.
Nature lovers and advocates of independent learning will find much to love in this tale.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-73-640301-3
Page Count: -
Publisher: Tiny Twigs Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This charming, colorful counting tale of ten little fish runs full-circle. Although the light verse opens and closes with ten fish swimming in a line, page-by-page the line grows shorter as the number of fish diminishes one-by-one. One fish dives down, one gets lost, one hides, and another takes a nap until a single fish remains. Then along comes another fish to form a couple and suddenly a new family of little fish emerges to begin all over. Slick, digitally-created images of brilliant marine flora and fauna give an illusion of underwater depth and silence enhancing the verse’s numerical and theatrical progression. The holistic story bubbles with life’s endless cycle. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-439-63569-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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