A well-meaning book is dragged down by its sad-sack hero.
Ah, talent shows. Dancing, acrobatics, contortion—the sky’s the limit. Just add a frozen pond on a moonlit winter’s night, and there are the makings of an extravaganza extraordinaire.
The excitement is enough to encourage even normally hibernating forest critters to brave a little frostbite for the sake of the spectacle. However, Toad (who looks a great deal like a frog) is sure he is talentless and says so, over and over. The self-deprecating, lugubrious laments grow old quickly. “It’s best if I keep myself out of sight,” he sighs. “The others must think I am silly and useless.” And that is just the first lamentation. To make matters worse, the caliber of performances playing out on the ice only serves to reinforce Toad’s extreme lack of self-esteem. As the competition draws to an end, an observant snail announces—much to Toad’s chagrin—that the ambivalent amphibian has yet to compete. Intending to demur, he emerges from the shadows and…Slips! Slides! Glides! No one has ever beheld an ice-skating toad before. Amid the uproarious cheers, he’s named the winner. Smythe’s digitized watercolor illustrations are the indisputable stars here, as the talented sylvan insomniacs erupt from lively, purple-hued pages. Despite his accidental success (he really has no talent), the rallying cry of “You never know what you can do until you try!” is a message timid souls everywhere can embrace.
A well-meaning book is dragged down by its sad-sack hero. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-78603-011-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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