Full of empathy and friendship, this appealing tale invites readers to a yard party.
A dog celebrates friendship with her human family and canine pals in this third installment of a picture-book series.
Lovable Lucy, a small pooch who looks like an English toy spaniel, isn’t sure why her humans are getting out all their pool and water equipment for something they call a “Barkyard Bash.” But she soon realizes they’re having a party, and all the neighbor dogs are coming, too. The large cast of canines and humans can make it hard to keep track of the jam-packed bash, both in the illustrations and the text. But that reflects the chaos of the party. And despite the number of friends present, Lovable Lucy manages to find time to comfort all the pals who need support. Reluctant to stop the fun, Lucy and her humans continue the splashing even after the neighbors have departed. As the family reflects, Lucy decides: “Most of all, I love having all my friends together.” Roth and Penn use accessible vocabulary in Lucy’s voice to tell the enjoyable story but never fall into the conceit that dogs can actually talk to humans. The only people hearing Lucy’s commentary are readers. The pooch’s neighborhood is clearly a loving one, full of a diverse cast—both human and canine—beautifully depicted in Hernandez’s digital illustrations. A deaf character, who signs in the images, is further represented in an American Sign Language glossary for some of the book’s terms.
Full of empathy and friendship, this appealing tale invites readers to a yard party.Pub Date: July 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781737663065
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Wag Your Tale Press
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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