An interesting, contemplative addition to the nature shelf.
A pair of hungry ravens helps wolves hunt during the winter starving time.
Dawson’s first picture book is based on observers’ reports of ravens alerting hunters—both humans and wolves—to potential prey. Her words and pictures reveal the stark circumstances of late winter. The ravens watch a wolf pack chase a buffalo; the buffalo gets away but not without delivering a fatal kick to one of the wolves. The hunt continues until the birds see an injured deer and summon the wolves. This second chase is more successful. “One animal’s life helps many others live.” The spare text is set on acrylic paintings with a vintage look. These stylized images are full of the curves and bold outlines of graffiti art yet at the same time are reminiscent of the work of Dahlov Ipcar. Their abstraction offsets the story’s harsh realism, which may still disturb a sensitive youngster. The colors, shades of brown, red-brown, and gray, suggest the drabness of winter; the action is shown both from a distance and up close in vignettes, full-page scenes, and double-page spreads. Dawson uses body language rather than visible blood to denote the dead. The thoughtful pacing of these illustrations demonstrates this artist’s experience with graphic storytelling. The text is less successful, with elevated, sometimes-awkward language that relies heavily on ellipses and works too hard to tell the story in a lyrical fashion.
An interesting, contemplative addition to the nature shelf. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77147-054-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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