bookshelf

NORTH WOODS GIRL

Name: NORTH WOODS GIRL
Author: Aimée Bissonette
ISBN: 978-0-87351-966-3

by Aimée Bissonette ; illustrated by Claudia McGehee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2015

A celebration of both family and nature with exemplary illustrations.

bookshelf

In this picture book, a young girl from the city periodically visits her grandmother who lives in the north woods.

The young narrator tells readers she is thrilled to visit her grandmother even though she “is not like other grandmas...she never bakes cookies or gooey berry pies.” What her grandmother does, and what the narrator loves so much, is that she takes long, appreciative rambles in the woods with her granddaughter accompanying her. The narrator describes how she and her grandma look for migrating ducks in the spring, cool off in the deep woods shade in the summer, and hike beneath a full moon in the winter. Bissonette’s knowledge of and respect for the natural world are evident, and the story is strongest when it describes this relationship with nature. The contrivance of the beginning and end circularity—“My grandma says she’s not a good-looking woman”—comes off as just that, but it is easily overlooked, since the narrator's heartfelt observations of the seasons and admiration of her grandma ring with authenticity. McGehee’s scratchboard, watercolor, and dye illustrations are executed with just the right primitive note and add significant appeal to the overall story with their excellent design and expert color sense.

A celebration of both family and nature with exemplary illustrations. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-87351-966-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
HEADSTRONG HALLIE!
by Aimée Bissonette ; illustrated by David Hohn

- BOOK REVIEW
AIM FOR THE SKIES
by Aimée Bissonette ; illustrated by Doris Ettlinger

bookshelf

CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

bookshelf

HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

bookshelf

Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.