Three fantastical tales with vivid images but uneven execution.
Debut author Fisher offers a trio of whimsical illustrated tales for children.
In “The Star Who Lost His Twinkle” the titular luminary has lost his shine and can’t get it back despite his friends’ and family’s best efforts. The star goes off by himself to find Polaris and a being called the Twinkle Man in hopes of regaining his twinkle. “The Butterfly Who Wanted To Hit a Home Run” features protagonist Wheatley Summerfield, freshly hatched from her cocoon, who’s struck with the burning desire to play baseball after witnessing a game. Other bugs protest that “BUTTERFLIES DO NOT PLAY BASEBALL!” Disheartened at first, Wheatley soon finds allies, and they plan to introduce baseball to the other insects. “The Tea Maker” follows a star named El who stumbles upon a fairy named Sprang and is invited to a tea party. At the party, El feels comfortable enough to disclose how alone she’s felt living with different foster stars. She’s invited to live with the fairies in the star-filled heavens and eventually meets a deity of sorts known as Tea Maker, among other names. This story’s spiritual message is different from the previous two, which focus more effectively on themes of inner strength. MacLean’s painterly, full-color illustrations are lovely, with a cheerful style and well-balanced color palettes that bring the text to life. However, the first and last tale prominently feature star imagery, while the story about insects employs a different illustration style that doesn’t mesh well. In addition, all the stories are text heavy; a stronger edit might have avoided the use of daunting paragraphs.
Three fantastical tales with vivid images but uneven execution.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2022
ISBN: 9781039112674
Page Count: 60
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
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