A sweet, educational story about protecting nature, overcoming fears, and friendship.
In Chalmers’ middle-grade novel, a boy discovers the wonders of bats—and friendship—while visiting his grandmother on a rural island in Maine.
Bear Houtman is on his way to visit his grandmother on Oxbow Island, Maine, when the ferry he’s riding gets caught in a storm. While sheltering at nearby Great Claw Island, he and his friend, Olivia Anaya, meet Sojourner “Sojo” Truth Yeats, who lives a solitary existence on the island now that the rest of the year-round residents have moved away (summer vacationers had bought up the houses), spending her time painting pictures of her beloved bats and other wildlife. Bear’s initial fears that bats “suck your blood and can give you rabies” are soon assuaged when Sojo shares some fascinating bat facts, like their ability to eat over 1,000 insects per night. Bear and Olivia soon learn that the bat population has become endangered on Oxbow Island due to light pollution and increasing numbers of visitors. While brainstorming ideas to help them, Bear points out a giant obstacle: “But nobody wants to protect something they’re afraid of. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who ever thought bats were scary.” In the midst of this bat conundrum, Bear struggles to deal with the failing health of his grandmother’s beloved elderly neighbor, Mrs. Frost. While the bat storyline is engaging in and of itself, it’s Bear’s experience with Mrs. Frost that lends the book real emotional depth: “‘I think,’ Bear said, ‘I think [Mrs Frost] wants us to say it’s okay. It’s okay for her…’ He didn’t know what word to use. ‘To leave.’ It sounded strange when he said it, but it felt true.” Occasional black and white illustrations by Hogan, including hand-drawn maps of the Oxbow Island neighborhood, provide visual context for the story. With its naturalistic dialogue and simple prose, this book is an ideal selection for younger readers who enjoy some science facts included alongside their adventures.
A sweet, educational story about protecting nature, overcoming fears, and friendship.Pub Date: March 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781633813946
Page Count: 199
Publisher: Maine Authors Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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