The accomplished art, however, does not compensate for the story’s lack of suspense, humor, or lyricism.
This Spanish import presents the day that three mice find a key and speculate on what it might unlock.
When the Mouse brothers emerge from their cheese-shaped house in the forest, each has a different idea about how to spend their Saturday. The oldest wants to pick apples, the middle one prefers poppies, and the youngest wants “that little piece of the sun that’s fallen onto the ground!” Realizing the “little piece of sun” is really a key, the siblings imagine opening a pirate chest or a castle door, but the smallest mouse decides “it must be the key to happiness!” Since the mice don’t know how to find the happiness it unlocks, they go home to consult their mother and discover her searching for this very object. Connecting the themes of their play, they posit that their dwelling holds treasure, compares to a castle, and is filled with joy. The story suffers from a trite ending, predictable plot, and (for the most part) pedestrian language: “It’s a very old key; I’m sure it opens the door of an old castle!” The illustrations, which appear to be digital, are stronger. Padrón’s close-ups are so revealing that readers can view tiny mouse hair in the profiles. He creates a successful depth of field with mist-shrouded trees in the background and warm, textured images in the foreground.
The accomplished art, however, does not compensate for the story’s lack of suspense, humor, or lyricism. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-84-16078-78-3
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sweet.
A caregiving bear shares with its cub how love has defined their relationship from the first moment and through the years as the cub has grown.
With rhymes and a steady rhythm that are less singsong-y than similar books, Stansbie seems to have hit a sweet spot for this offering on the I-love-you-always shelf. Readers follow the adult and child as they share special moments together—a sunset, a splash in a pond, climbing a tree, a snuggle—and the adult tells the child that the love it feels has only grown. Stansbie also takes care not to put promises in the adult bear’s mouth that can’t be delivered, acknowledging that physical proximity is not always possible: “Wherever you are, / even when we’re apart… // I’ll love you forever / with all of my heart.” The large trim size helps the sweet illustrations shine; their emphasis is on the close relationship between parent and child. Shaped peekaboo windows offer glimpses of preceding and succeeding pages, images and text carefully placed to work whatever the context. While the die cuts on the interior pages will not hold up to rough handling, they do add whimsy and delight to the book as a whole: “And now that you’re bigger, / you make my heart sing. / My / beautiful / wonderful / magical / thing.” Those last three adjectives are positioned in leaf-shaped cutouts, the turn of the page revealing the roly-poly cub in a pile of leaves, three formed by the die-cuts. Opposite, three vignettes show the cub appreciating the “beautiful,” the “wonderful,” and the “magical.”
Sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68412-910-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Dolphin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world.
This reassuring picture book exemplifies how parents throughout the animal kingdom make homes for their offspring.
The narrative is written from the point of view of a parent talking to their child: “If you were a beaver, I would gnaw on trees with my teeth to build a cozy lodge for us to sleep in during the day.” Text appears in big, easy-to-read type, with the name of the creature in boldface. Additional facts about the animal appear in a smaller font, such as: “Beavers have transparent eyelids to help them see under water.” The gathering of land, air, and water animals includes a raven, a flying squirrel, and a sea lion. “Home” might be a nest, a den, or a burrow. One example, of a blue whale who has homes in the north and south (ocean is implied), will help children stretch the concept into feeling at home in the larger world. Illustrations of the habitats have an inviting luminosity. Mature and baby animals are realistically depicted, although facial features appear to have been somewhat softened, perhaps to appeal to young readers. The book ends with the comforting scene of a human parent and child silhouetted in the welcoming lights of the house they approach: “Wherever you may be, you will always have a home with me.”
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63217-224-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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