An epicurean tale of bravery and tasty discoveries.
A penguin embarks on a culinary adventure.
Tired of fish, fish, and more fish, a brown-and-white penguin named Umami declares, “I’m finished with all of it.” She sails off in a little boat, eager for new gastronomic opportunities. Along the way, she discovers salty, sour, bitter, and sweet foods that tease her palate and evoke joy. She even comes across a savory flavor that bears her name (umami), along with the heat and vigor of spice. Determined to share her findings with her fellow penguins, she returns to her home shores full of ideas and motivation. But will the other penguins be as daring as she? “There’s only one way to find out,” she declares as she whips up dish after dish for her village, enticing them with delicious new smells. As they each take a bite, silence falls over the penguins, and Umami discovers one more thing—her new purpose and calling as a chef for her friends and family. Grant’s spare text guides Umami through her journey, paired with a classic illustration style that alternates an ocean of white space with bold, textured backgrounds seasoned with red, green, and yellow, evoking Umami’s culinary evolution. While readers might have some questions about the connection between the protagonist’s name and the actual meaning of umami, her experience will certainly inspire them to be similarly adventurous in their own eating habits.
An epicurean tale of bravery and tasty discoveries. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624067
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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