A meaningful portrait of a young child living and loving in a unique period of North American history.
Surrounded by the people she loves, Ukpik finds her traditional Inuit village changing as southern traders reach her homeland.
Based on the author’s memories, this picture book documents the jarring effects of contemporary culture on an Inuit child living in the farthest reaches of North America. It is summertime, and young Ukpik is delighted with her new husky puppy. As she goes about her chores on the open tundra, she ponders what to call him. She runs through her list of potential names—boss, sweetie, toy, pretty—offering readers an Inuktitut language lesson before a ship arrives. Suddenly, her father, or ataata, is shouting orders. Everyone in her camp is bustling about in preparation for the visitors, and Ukpik’s new dog is eclipsed for a moment by other novelties. Ataata trades his sealskins and fox furs for never-before-seen utensils: knives, forks, and spoons. Initially excited by them, Ukpik begins to feel anxious as she realizes the items represent an unseen world lurking at the boundary of her own. The book’s final pages contain a deeply touching moment as Ukpik’s uncertainty forces her to lean on the wisdom of her grandmother, who gives her advice about the permanence of love in the face of monumental change. Simple yet realistic cartoon illustrations of the isolated northern tundra complement the book’s thematic content without overpowering the author’s unique perspective.
A meaningful portrait of a young child living and loving in a unique period of North American history. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-226-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A strong, accessible diary story for readers seeking an adorable animal tale.
Bub the anxious pug tackles snow days and new neighbors in his second outing.
Bub, acclaimed by some as “the cutest pug on the planet,” at first shares the enthusiasm owner Bella expresses about snow days even though he doesn’t know what they are. Then Duchess the cat (mildly antagonistic, in typical feline fashion) rains on Bub’s parade by pointing out that snow is water—and Bub’s no fan of rain or baths. After a comedic and disastrous first attempt, Bub learns how to properly dress for snow and enjoy it. The outdoor fun’s cut short by mysterious noises coming from the new neighbor, which frighten Bella into thinking there’s a monster. Bub puts on a Sherlock Holmes get-up to investigate but becomes afraid himself of the new neighbor’s large dog. Finally, Bella meets Jack, who’s been working on a tree fort, and his dog, Luna, who is enthusiastically friendly. The story ends on a positive note, as they all happily work together on the fort. The full-color cartoon illustrations, especially of Bub, are adorably expressive and certain to please the age group. The generous font and format—short, diary-entry paragraphs and speech-bubble conversations—create a quick pace. Bub’s stylized emoji bubbles return and are most hilarious when used to express his nervous flatulence. Bella and Jack both present white.
A strong, accessible diary story for readers seeking an adorable animal tale. (Fantasy. 5-7)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53006-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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