MY DOG, MY CAT

Name: MY DOG, MY CAT
Author: Ashlee Fletcher
ISBN: 978-1-933718-22-4

by Ashlee Fletcher & illustrated by Ashlee Fletcher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2011

Fletcher’s first picture book is thoughtfully designed, with humor and a succinct text that will appeal to a broad age...

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A simple and appealing story focuses on the differences between dogs and cats, with a patterned, predictable text that thoughtfully describes each divergent quality in concrete terms that preschoolers will understand.

The pattern uses a basic structure that contrasts the dog with the cat with one attribute or action noted in a short sentence set in large type at the bottom of each page. Fletcher’s endearing, naive illustrations of a blue dog and an orange cat are set off with a framing device of bold, squiggly lines in vibrant hues. The facing pairs of illustrations are connected in subtle ways through similar design elements, with a sun shining behind the digging dog and the moon lighting up a night scene of the tree-climbing cat. The concluding pages demonstrate that the dog and cat are also similar, because both love pepperoni pizza and both love their owner. Overall, the illustrations have a cheery, innocent effect. Preschoolers will enjoy this as an early, simple story, and its straightforward text adapts well to beginning readers.. Teachers in the early-elementary grades will find the simple but clever text a worthwhile introduction to comparisons and a handy starting point for creative-writing activities.

Fletcher’s first picture book is thoughtfully designed, with humor and a succinct text that will appeal to a broad age range. She is an illustrator to watch. (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-933718-22-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011

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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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S HALLOWEEN

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.

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A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.

Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)