Amusing as well as subtly encouraging about the rewards for patience and working with what you’ve got.
The pet Charlotte Grey has long wished for and finally gets for her sixth birthday is not what she had in mind.
Charlotte is a cheerful, sturdy, bespectacled white child who lives with her white parents and Grandma Glennis, who knits and smiles benignly. The opening pages show Charlotte imagining a passel of lively, interactive, and cuddly pets, but what she gets for her birthday looks exactly like an enormous…rock. So spherical, solid, and gray is Charlotte’s new pet that readers won’t guess it’s anything but a boulder. Charlotte earnestly engages with her rock, taking it on walks and picnics, reading comics and playing games together, each wearing a matching hat. Charlotte names her pet Dennis. “We chose it together,” she tells a neighbor about the name—while the illustration shows her dropping the rock onto a grid of four name choices. Martin’s deadpan narrative voice emphasizes Charlotte’s stolid devotion to her odd pet. When Dennis, who “knew Charlotte needed a hug,” finally undergoes a sudden and dramatic change, it is Grandma who seems to be the only family member who is not surprised. Cotterill’s pen-outlined drawings and minimal color palette give her cartoon art a breezy feel that matches well with the silliness of the text.
Amusing as well as subtly encouraging about the rewards for patience and working with what you’ve got. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-99389-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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