by Nikki Slade Robinson ; illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2017
Welcome back, Muddle and Mo
Continuing the story of the unlikely pair introduced in Muddle & Mo (2017), Slade draws readers’ attention to what is often the most important topic in children’s books: food.
The confused yellow duckling Muddle, who in the earlier title had a hard time understanding that goat Mo was not a duck, announces the intention to make them a picnic. The goat looks anxious after hearing what’s on the menu: Worm Surprise. The goat fears that it will be obliged to eat something unsuitable for herbivores and becomes more and more despondent as the duck rushes about enthusiastically gathering worms and bugs. Too polite to object, Mo follows as Muddle drags a hefty picnic basket up a steep hill. The picture of despair, Mo awaits the opening of the basket. However…“Surprise!” The thoughtful duck has prepared two different lunches, worms and greens. Mo announces with relief, “I like your Worm Surprise lunch.” The cartoonlike but highly expressive characters are depicted in delicate pencil and wash drawings on a beige parchment-textured background. The simple but original dialogue-only text is perfect for beginning readers—they speak in clearly different typefaces—and kids will enjoy the subtle humor of this slightly wacky friendship between two such different animals.
Welcome back, Muddle and Mo . (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-76036-030-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Starfish Bay
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
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by Nikki Slade Robinson ; illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson
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by Nikki Slade Robinson ; illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson
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by Nikki Slade Robinson ; illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson
by Julie Rowan-Zoch ; illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021
Animated and educational.
A hare and a ground squirrel banter about the differences between related animals that are often confused for one another.
Jack is “no Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail,” but a “H-A-R-E, hare!” Like sheep and goats, or turtles and tortoises, rabbits and hares may look similar, but hares are bigger, their fur changes color in the winter, and they are born with their eyes wide open. As the ground squirrel (not to be mistaken for a chipmunk (even though Jack cheekily calls it “Chippie”) and Jack engage in playful discussion about animals, a sneaky coyote prowls after them through the Sonoran Desert. This picture book conveys the full narrative in spirited, speech-bubbled dialogue set on expressive illustrations of talking animals. Dark outlines around the characters make their shapes pop against the softly blended colors of the desert backgrounds. Snappy back-and-forth paired with repetition and occasional rhyme enhances the story’s appeal as a read-aloud. As the story progresses, the colors of the sky shift from dawn to dusk, providing subtle, visual bookends for the narrative. One page of backmatter offers a quick guide to eight easily confused pairs, and a second turns a subsequent exploration of the book into a seek-and-find of 15 creatures (and one dessert) hidden in the desert. Unfortunately, while most of the creatures from the seek-and-find appear in poses that match the illustrations in the challenge, not all of them are consistently represented. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 53.3% of actual size.)
Animated and educational. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-12506-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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by Bobby Moynihan ; illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
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by Tom Lichtenheld ; illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch
by Sarah Asper-Smith ; illustrated by Mitchell Watley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 12, 2019
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world.
This reassuring picture book exemplifies how parents throughout the animal kingdom make homes for their offspring.
The narrative is written from the point of view of a parent talking to their child: “If you were a beaver, I would gnaw on trees with my teeth to build a cozy lodge for us to sleep in during the day.” Text appears in big, easy-to-read type, with the name of the creature in boldface. Additional facts about the animal appear in a smaller font, such as: “Beavers have transparent eyelids to help them see under water.” The gathering of land, air, and water animals includes a raven, a flying squirrel, and a sea lion. “Home” might be a nest, a den, or a burrow. One example, of a blue whale who has homes in the north and south (ocean is implied), will help children stretch the concept into feeling at home in the larger world. Illustrations of the habitats have an inviting luminosity. Mature and baby animals are realistically depicted, although facial features appear to have been somewhat softened, perhaps to appeal to young readers. The book ends with the comforting scene of a human parent and child silhouetted in the welcoming lights of the house they approach: “Wherever you may be, you will always have a home with me.”
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63217-224-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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by Sarah Asper-Smith ; illustrated by Mitchell Watley
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