A disappointing story with a hopeful ending.
A stray dog fends for himself during a period of frightening disruption in this Chinese import.
As the story opens, a young girl and her grandmother bring the dog food regularly. The little girl enjoys playing with the dog, but her parents won’t allow her to take him home. One day, his bowl is empty, and so are the streets. The pooch sees some people in masks but doesn’t understand what’s happening. As time passes, the dog grows hungrier and thinner. The girl reappears and brings him home—her parents, presumably medical workers, have been called away because people are getting sick. The child, via her smartphone, is finally given permission to keep the dog. They wait for the parents to return and for the day they can all go outside once again. Ai and Xing’s rather flat and simplistic story of a pandemic is narrated by the dog protagonist, who varies between ignorance and omniscience. He seems to know why the girl’s parents won’t allow her to take him home and why the parents have to leave. Although a lockdown is implied, the girl and her grandmother go out to retrieve the dog anyway. Illness is only mentioned in passing but nothing about a quarantine or widespread contamination. The soft-edged illustrations add little, though the dog is cute; human characters throughout have pale skin, and the setting is ambiguous.
A disappointing story with a hopeful ending. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64074-122-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cardinal Media
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
Despite obvious curricular connections, this one’s a miss.
Books about the USDA’s nutrition standards regarding healthy eating are universally bland. This is no exception.
When Jack (yes, that one) climbs the beanstalk to the giant’s land, instead of threatening his life, Waldorf invites Jack to have a healthy meal with him. Double-page spreads introduce the food groups—vegetable, fruit, grain, protein and dairy; huge (to Jack) labeled examples of the foods fill the pages. Zofia, Waldorf’s wife, arrives in time to share the meal with them. Only in these final few pages is the new MyPlate program introduced: “So it’s healthy to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables?” “Right! The other half has grains and protein foods.” “Help yourself to a serving of dairy too!” Their meal ends with some suggestions for exercise (though the USDA MyPlate graphic takes away the visual of a figure climbing the food pyramid). The MyPlate image appears in the backmatter, along with a few more tips for healthy eating, a page of foods that have “empty calories” and a few exercise ideas. Leedy combines humor with (mostly) easily identifiable foods, making this a book that kids can participate in reading. But there is a strange mix of cartoon and real—Zofia’s plate contains a cartoon fruit salad and cooked crab alongside collaged-in salad and rice, and a piece of corn bread that is an odd mixture of both. The need to confine intake to one MyPlate per meal goes unsaid.
Despite obvious curricular connections, this one’s a miss. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2602-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
A feathered cast of flight experts can’t lift one up as high as a friend.
A tot tries to fly a paper airplane but is hampered by unsolicited advice.
After carefully studying the book Flying 101, Riley is ready. Wearing aviator goggles and a scarf, light-skinned Riley prepares to fold a paper airplane and watch it soar. The countdown begins: “3 … 2 … 1…” Suddenly a large eagle appears, shouting, “STOP!” The eagle boastfully explains that Riley’s airplane won’t fly: “I rule the sky because I’m large and in charge. Trust me, it needs to be bigger!” So Riley folds a bigger plane. The countdown begins again. This time, a colorful parrot dives in, interrupting the process once more. “Only the best and brightest can rise above the rest. Don’t you see? It needs to be fancier!” So Riley adds vibrant colors. However, more and more birds squawk their suggestions (“faster!” “taller!” “longer!” “smarter!”). Fed up, Riley marches to a quiet spot, meeting one more avian visitor. But this one just might have what is needed for the airplane—and friendship—to soar. Set against large swaths of white space, the realistically depicted but expressive birds swoop in through the frames with their opinions. The repeating countdown refrain and consistent interruptions are surefire crowd pleasers for a read-aloud delight.
A feathered cast of flight experts can’t lift one up as high as a friend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780593696729
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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