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NICOLO’S UNICORN

Name: NICOLO’S UNICORN
Author: Sylvaine Nahas
ISBN: 0-8230-5580-9

by Sylvaine Nahas & illustrated by Bimba Landmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2001

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Otherworldly artwork accompanies Nahas’s American debut, the story of a boy who dreams of meeting a unicorn. Rendered in a palette of mauve, pink, and midnight blue, Landmann’s (The Genius of Leonardo, 2000, etc.) opening spread reveals the city of Venice at sunrise. “ ‘Nicolo, why aren’t you ready for school yet?’ asks his older brother. ‘What are you daydreaming about?’ ” “ ‘I’m dreaming about meeting a unicorn,’ ” says Nicolo on the next page. But his brother lacks imagination. So do his teacher, mother, and aunt. “ ‘Don’t be silly,’ ” they all say. “ ‘You know there’s no such thing as a unicorn.’ ” Breathtaking illustrations depict Nicolo and the mythical creature side by side. One, for example, reveals the pair in a magical forest of rust, brown, and mutable green. In another, Nicolo—cloaked in deep purple with almond eyes and aquiline nose—feeds flowers to the blue unicorn. Perhaps most striking, however, is Landmann’s use of bronze powder—transformed by the printing process into graceful touches of gold—to illuminate touches of the illustration. Unfortunately, Nahas’s narrative lacks the same refinement. The story ends abruptly when Nicolo seeks the help of his grandfather, who not only tells him where to find a unicorn (in art, music, and books) but never to stop believing. Readers never get a sense of how this encounter changes Nicolo. Buy this one for the art and all of those unicorn fans, and have children come up with an ending on their own. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-8230-5580-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HEY, DUCK!

by Carin Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2013

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.

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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)