For budding train enthusiasts, animal lovers, and nature buffs.
A rousing, rhyming tour of Alaskan wildlife and scenery.
The Alaska Railroad is 120 years old, covers more than 500 miles, and boasts a string of midcentury modern cars, electric blue with gold streaks. At a station labeled “Seward,” a crowd of passengers waits to board, and soon we’re off: “Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! / Racing down the railroad track.” Racing is replaced by a succession of lively verbs on subsequent spreads: roaring, rushing, rocking, rolling, rumbling, rambling, and rattling. And with every new spread, a new habitat and a new animal are featured: buffalo (aka bison), otter, sheep (with curly horns), moose, porcupines, grizzly bears, caribou. The landscapes are of course spectacular; we’re treated to steep cliffs, boggy meadows, fir and aspen groves, and, finally, a mountain so high that it halts the train. Throughout, the animals have been climbing aboard surreptitiously, until their presence becomes obvious. No predators (grizzly bear aside), just sightseers! They now climb out and, with a few intrepid children, push and pull the train up the impossibly steep track. Their reward: the northern lights spread across the night sky! The conductor and passengers vary in skin tone, and panoramic pictures offer lots of details and extra wildlife for searching eyes to find—especially amid the chaotic detraining in Fairbanks. Like Hartman and Joseph’s earlier collaboration, The Littlest Airplane (2022), this book offers a perfect pairing of big, bright, expressive color illustrations and engaging read-aloud text.
For budding train enthusiasts, animal lovers, and nature buffs. (map, history of the Alaska Railroad, diagram of the train, glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781636550992
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Red Comet Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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