An imaginative fantasy that gives readers plenty of room to roam.
A family moves into a new house, and a child finds a playmate.
Cornelia is not a fan of the family’s new multistory Victorian house, with its copious antiques and dearth of playmates. The parents suggest having “a look around outside” instead. Sporting a blue cape, Cornelia and a scruffy dog companion wander into the tall surrounding trees. They find a ladder, climb into the treetops, and find a marvelous branched-out treehouse. Lounging in a hammock on the porch is Fredrik, who welcomes them and shows off many inventions: There are hanging, bed-sized nests of pillows and cranks for watering hard-to-reach plants—but “the best” is a “Jungle Machine.” After some wheel-twisting and button-pushing, tropical plants emerge from gramophone-like horns, sprouting into a full jungle, complete with swinging vines, a river, and a red-plumed bird large enough to ride. After some adventuring, Cornelia returns home more optimistic about the new living situation. The matter-of-fact, largely wordless text provides only a slight lift beyond the unexplained, implausible circumstances, but it also allows readers’ minds to wander through the fantastical possibilities. Characters present white; the eye patch–wearing Fredrik has the demeanor of an arboreal Pippi Longstocking. The pictures are intricately lined and rich with detail. Expansive images push beyond their edges to make grand use of the tall, rectangular trim.
An imaginative fantasy that gives readers plenty of room to roam. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-776572-59-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories.
What does Annie want to be?
As career day approaches, Annie wants to keep her job choice secret until her family sees her presentation at school. Readers will figure it out, however, through the title and clues Tadgell incorporates into the illustrations. Family members make guesses about her ambitions that are tied to their own passions, although her brother watches as she completes her costume in a bedroom with a Mae Jemison poster, starry décor, and a telescope. There’s a celebratory mood at the culminating presentation, where Annie says she wants to “soar high through the air” like her basketball-playing mother, “explore faraway places” like her hiker dad, and “be brave and bold” like her baker grandmother (this feels forced, but oven mitts are part of her astronaut costume) so “the whole world will hear my exciting stories” like her reporter grandfather. Annie jumps off a chair to “BLAST OFF” in a small illustration superimposed on a larger picture depicting her floating in space with a reddish ground below. It’s unclear if Annie imagines this scene or if it’s her future-self exploring Mars, but either scenario fits the aspirational story. Backmatter provides further reading suggestions and information about the moon and four women astronauts, one of whom is Jemison. Annie and her family are all black.
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-88448-523-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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