Nothing fishy here: an adorable, laugh-out-loud winner.
Three seemingly mismatched residents of a tree learn to coexist.
Sitting on their respective branches, pals Bird and Cat cordially greet each other. Neighbor Mr. Fish brusquely shoos them away, claiming it’s his tree. Unimpressed with their accounts of how hard it was to reach it, Mr. Fish describes his difficulties in getting there himself. When he’s reminded that he’s literally a fish out of water (how’s he even breathing?), Mr. Fish temporarily solves that dilemma with a fishbowl on wheels, but Bird and Cat leave, citing his poor attitude. Alone, Mr. Fish is bored, so he throws a festive shindig. Unfortunately, the aquatic guests hurriedly swim off from what the text assures readers is “the worst party ever.” On his own again, Mr. Fish realizes the solo life’s rotten; luckily, Bird and Cat return. Apologizing for his previous conduct and divulging a terrific idea, Mr. Fish solicits their help, remembering the magic word please. Laboring furiously while generating considerable noise, the three arrive at an ingenious means to share the tree harmoniously, each according to its species. This story about friendly cooperation, expressed through dialogue, soliloquy, and narrative, is a comical hoot; the simple, matter-of-fact, dryly witty text will arouse kids’ giggles throughout. The riotous cartoon illustrations ably drive the lively proceedings; Mr. Fish is especially expressive, a master of the absurd. Note the punny final page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing fishy here: an adorable, laugh-out-loud winner. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-75871-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
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