Another remarkable reminder of nature’s wonders.
Just like schoolchildren, some animals line up regularly.
Once again, Stockdale invites readers to marvel at the natural world, with examples of creatures who, surprisingly, share characteristics with humans. Dedicating her latest to “children who line up everywhere,” she spotlights animals who do the same. Her interesting choices include creatures likely to be familiar and unfamiliar to the target audience and come from all over the world: mallards, African elephants, white-spotted pufferfish, Arctic wolves, ants, chinstrap penguins, spiny lobsters, and superb fairywrens, among others. Readers who have enjoyed earlier titles will recognize the format. Each spread covers a different species; two smoothly rhyming couplets introduce the creature and a significant fact. On the final spread, as the fairywrens line up on their branch to sleep, an extra couplet offers “sweet dreams” to bedtime listeners, too. The text is set directly on full-bleed images of the lined-up animals. These clean, flat acrylics, featuring solid colors, are simplified but clearly show the animals in their appropriate environments. The rhyme and rhythm make this a pleasure to read aloud; relatively large sans-serif type and repetition of opening lines will help those reading on their own. Backmatter thumbnails are captioned with more information about each of the creatures for the more capable child or adult reader. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Another remarkable reminder of nature’s wonders. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-68263-322-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams.
Readers learn about a keystone species and the habitat they create.
In a “House That Jack Built” style (though minus the cumulative repetition), Sonenshine introduces children to beavers. Beginning with a beaver who’s just gnawed down a willow near their lodge, the author moves on to the dam that blocks the stream and protects their domed home and then to the yearlings that are working to repair it with sticks and mud. Muskrats and a musk turtle take advantage of the safety of the beavers’ lodge, while Coyote tries (and fails) to breach it. Then the book turns to other animals that enjoy the benefits of the pond the beavers have created: goose, ducklings, heron, moose. While the beavers aren’t in all these illustrations, evidence of them is. And then suddenly a flood takes out both the dam and the beavers’ lodge. So, the beavers move upstream to find a new spot to dam and build again, coming full circle back to the beginning of the book. Hunter’s ink-and–colored pencil illustrations have a scratchy style that is well suited to the beavers’ pelts, their watery surroundings, and the other animals that share their habitat. Careful observers will be well rewarded by the tiny details. Beavers are mostly nocturnal, which isn’t always faithfully depicted by Hunter. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams. (beaver facts, glossary, further resources) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1868-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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