These goofy, friendly characters offer an uncomplicated story with visual interest and a measure of good fun.
A Sour Milk Dragon menacing sylvan critters turns out not to be that frightening in Everett-Albanese and Albanese’s picture book.
The fantastically named Birpus and Bulbus, forest creatures (“Tree-Wees”) who resemble something between beavers and corduroy teddy bears, have been repeatedly chased by the Sour Milk Dragon, but they’re too fast to be caught. Their days are occupied with searching for “worm waffles” and “marmalade moths.” The layered, digitally painted world they race through is full of vast, redwoodlike trees and mushroom cottages linked by ladder bridges and lit by filtered orange light. When they return home, their Grand-Wees are always happy to tell a story. The older forest-dwellers seem unconcerned about the dragon below. As it turns out, this is a reasonable attitude: When they find him again, Birpus and Bulbus learn the homely purple milk-leaking dragon, though stinky, poses no threat to anyone and just wants a friend. Children who enjoy eccentric fantasy characters and are too young for more complicated stories will enjoy this easy resolution. The narrative gives more weight to the cozy woodland vibes (one character, Mr. Yellow, is literally a blanket) than to character or plot. Ta’s creative, full-color illustrations add depth to the simple storybook world.
These goofy, friendly characters offer an uncomplicated story with visual interest and a measure of good fun.Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781732898769
Page Count: 41
Publisher: Weight of Ink
Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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