Grade-schoolers interested in science and nature—but not too old for talking animals—will find a lot to interest them here.
A tortoise tourist and his desert-rodent buddy make their way to the Grand Canyon to exchange recipes in this travel adventure by debut author Ahern and veteran illustrator Brooks (Dog Diaries: Secret Writings of the WOOF Society, 2016, etc.).
Tino the tortoise and Rudi the jerboa, who live in the Mojave Desert, decide to travel to Arizona’s Kaibab National Forest to present a new recipe for pine seeds to Penny, a Kaibab squirrel who’s bored of eating her favorite meal the same old ways. Tino is apparently a savvy traveler; when Rudi says that they should go on a trip, Tino immediately makes plans and starts booking tourist excursions. After a train ride to what a helpful owl calls a “big hole in the ground,” the friends take a mule ride, do some whitewater rafting, and finally make it to the north rim of the canyon and the ponderosa pine trees where the Kaibab squirrels make their home. During their journey, the friends ask directions at every stop, which allows readers to learn more about the squirrels and their habitat but also contrasts with Tino’s pre-made travel plans. Brooks’ humanoid animals experience the Grand Canyon in the same ways that a young human visitor might. The casting is clever: a park ranger is a raccoon (reminiscent of Ranger Rick); a cougar rents out unflappable (nonhumanoid) mules; and a ranch-owning rabbit warns the travelers against getting in the way of big-horn sheep or sitting on rattlesnakes. Brooks depicts the humanlike animals differently enough that it doesn’t feel strange for other, more traditional animals to act like their real-world counterparts. The descriptions of the travelers’ adventures are appealing, and kids are sure to want to experience them in person. Details about animal habitats and traits, particularly those of the rare Kaibab squirrel, may also help spark an interest in nature. Some pages are dense with text, which may intimidate some younger readers, but the pictures are dominant enough to hold lap-readers’ interest.
Grade-schoolers interested in science and nature—but not too old for talking animals—will find a lot to interest them here.Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-941821-45-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WestWinds Press
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
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
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