A whimsical way to teach budding environmentalists about trees around the world.
“No one is too small to make a difference,” as the leaflings tell us.
In this guide’s delightful conceit, every tree has its tiny leafling, and every leafling has a specific role: protecting, connecting, constructing, etc. Leaflings resemble smiling seed pods with big, round eyes and small bodies, some in minute skirts. Whatever their tree roles, their job in this book is to explain how trees work, and they do it winningly. Akina and Hiroki tell us about sakura, while Iarla and Etain cover holly. Hugo takes on the kapok; several real-life critters that make their home in this giant South American tree can be found here along with information on photosynthesis. On to oak, baobab, kauri, red river gum, redwood, peepal, Huangshan pine, and sweet chestnut, each with companion leaflings and assorted animals. Among the few humans are a child who uses a wheelchair, one in hijab, and several who are brown-skinned; among leaflings, faces might be green, tan, pale, etc., while some bodies are wide, others tall. There’s information about city trees and advice on observing nature. The use of intricate serif fonts dictates lap- or independent-reading only; indeed, the delicate, detailed, page-filling watercolor and ink illustrations (like a naturalist’s notebook) are for poring over. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A whimsical way to teach budding environmentalists about trees around the world. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-78342-522-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bonnier/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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