A touching tale about a parent’s death and the birth of a passion for animals.
A tween, grieving her mother’s death, finds solace on a trip to a Thai elephant sanctuary in this debut middle-grade novel.
Six months ago, something happened that changed 12-year-old Quinn’s life: Her mother crashed into a tree while skiing during a storm. When her mother died, Quinn’s sense of normalcy went with her, and half a year later, she is still haunted by the fatal accident that she witnessed. Her Aunt Lizzie takes her on a two-week trip to Orawan Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand in an effort to find a new way for her to heal. Quinn is apprehensive at best in the hot, humid climate that’s so different from her native Colorado. She’s the only kid there besides a boy her age named Hunter and she feels completely isolated; she’s still overwhelmed by her grief for her mother. The first elephant she meets is Sumana, whose history of abuse seriously upsets Quinn: “Like a turtle, I want to pull back inside my shell and shut it all out.” When an orphan baby elephant named Lee Lawa Dee is brought to the sanctuary, Quinn empathizes with her and becomes deeply invested in her rapidly diminishing well-being. Quinn comes up with an idea that she is sure will work, but finds that convincing the sanctuary’s workers to implement it is a completely different story. Greenway’s emotional rollercoaster of a novel does not shy away from the complexities of healing from trauma. While Quinn’s ping-ponging between her emotions and her savior complex regarding Lee Lawa Dee may seem repetitive or intense, the process teaches readers that recovery is not a straight line. The small cast of characters is well developed, with all of the players having clear arcs, whether it’s Kristen, the sanctuary’s assistant director, learning to accept help with Lee Lawa Dee or Aunt Lizzie coming to terms with her own grief. This is a book that will appeal especially to animal lovers, including fans of Barbara O’Connor’s Wish (2016).
A touching tale about a parent’s death and the birth of a passion for animals.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781684632688
Page Count: 160
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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