"The tale of Pyn and her father has psychological ties to the story of Heidi and her grandfather, with a similar theme of the love of a little girl cracking open a crusty heart. (Picture book. 4-8) "
Little Pyn lives in a cottage on top of a mountain with her cranky giant of a father, who doesn't want to celebrate Christmas—or raise a daughter by himself, either.
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"Although toddlers and young preschoolers may be mystified at the madness behind Ollie's method, as he steals his compatriots' hidden eggs and then hides them again, there'll be more than pleased by his triumphant ending. (stickers) (Picture book. 2-5)"
Gossie, Gertie, BooBoo and Peedie are all busy preparing for Easter, gathering, dying and hiding their eggs.
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"The choice of Father Christmas Goose as the Santa character is a clever play on words, but this concept may be confusing for some children, who may think the character is the father of the goslings rather than Santa. (Picture book. 2-5)"
Dunrea continues his successful series about a gaggle of goslings with this simple story for preschoolers about the anticipation that little ones experience before Christmas.
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"An accessible, but not overly exciting introduction to the concept of size differences and friendship. (Picture book. 2-4)"
A simple but pleasing story of two animal friends, Mouse and Elephant, who have trouble playing together at the playground because of their extreme size differences.
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"Presented as a tidy-looking quarto, with a vignette and a full-page, formal painted scene in dark, subtly modulated colors for each chapter, this will appeal to young readers who revel in magic tales, but aren't quite ready for more voluminous fantasies. (Fiction. 8-10)"
Demonstrating that no, size doesn't matter, Dunrea sends a small speckled hen on a heroic quest to save her farm with Dragon magic.
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"The ink-and-watercolor illustrations are as simple as the text, and small children will recognize and relate to each story's tiny arc and resolution. (Picture book. 3-7)"
Dunrea adds to his almost-twee goose adventures with Peedie, a small yellow gosling and BooBoo, a small blue gosling.
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"Plenty of white space reinforces the simplicity and keeps the focus on the appealing goslings; the large typeface and small trim size make these volumes especially appropriate for the youngest audience. (Picture book. 2-4)"
Dunrea's group of cleanly attractive mini-volumes featuring gosling friends Gossie and Gertie grows by two.
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"Susan Jeffers, 1978) and the more childlike pleasures of Ezra Jack Keats's Snowy Day (1962). (Picture book. 5-7)"
Against a shadowy pine forest at once mysterious and peaceful, a mother—human, or perhaps a sort of forest gnome—introduces her well-swaddled baby to the pleasures of a snowy night.
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"The potent combination of toddler-appealing story lines and the charismatic charm of the illustrations assure that these smartly clad geese will be marching straight into the hearts of readers. (Picture book. 2-5)"
A sweet and silly pair of tales about an eccentric gosling and her newfound friend.
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"Satisfying to the last wordless page. (Picture book. 4-8)"
On Christmas Eve, the one night of the year that all the animals can gather together without fear, the creatures of the north woods await the arrival of Bear Noel.
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"Lovely art, and an unusual insight, squandered by mediocre storytelling. (glossary) (Picture book. 7-9)"
Dunrea (The Tale of Hilda Louise, 1996, etc.), in a mode more vague than subtle, tells of kindness magically rewarded; outstanding art is matched to a confusing, unfinished plot.
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"Like Madeline-through-the-looking-glass, the scenes are precise and magical at the same time. (Picture book. 4-6)"
Her parents having ``disappeared in the Swiss Alps,'' Hilda Louise lives with the other 109 residents of the affectionately named ``Chez Mez Petits Choux orphanage at 97, rue Saint-Julien-le- Pauvre, Paris.'' Through no particular longing or design of her own, Hilda Louise develops a ``newfound talent''—floating.
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Dignified figures and nearly flat depth of field give the illustrations a flavor of folk art in this story of a city artist who loves to paint chickens, and longs to live on a farm.
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"For a story about a feckless nest-sitter—a book with an impeccable grasp of the rural scene—try Potter's The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck. (Picture book. 3-8)"
Beautifully illustrated and handsomely presented, but a fundamentally wrongheaded book.
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