As cozy and safe as it is mannerly, with a patterned text well suited to storytime sharing with younger audiences.
An errant egg politely asks for help in this prehistoric take on the “are you my mother?” theme.
Blown by the wind out of its nest and down a hill, the egg plaintively calls out, “Excuse me, please, / but am I yours? / I’m sure I am / a dinosaur’s!” But a succession of dinos are stymied: “What do you look like inside that shell? / I can’t see in so I can’t tell,” they all begin and then list their own signature characteristics in search of similarities. The conundrum deepens as, in response to each passer-by’s questions, the egg’s resident replies that, no, it doesn’t have spikes along its spine like Stegosaurus’, or a crest like Corythosaurus’, or teeth “sharp up top and down beneath” like Tyrannosaurus’. What could it be? Amid neatly laid out rocks and flowers, Latimer surrounds the enigmatic speckled egg with recognizable dinosaurs, rendered in bright monochrome hues and bearing visibly concerned expressions that are transformed into smiles when, finally, the setting sun illuminates a shadowy shape within the shell. The egg is rolled back up the hill, and finally its titular query is answered: “We are. We are! We are YOURS! / We’re two ECSTATIC pterosaurs”—just as hatching time arrives.
As cozy and safe as it is mannerly, with a patterned text well suited to storytime sharing with younger audiences. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68263-044-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for...
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
A powerful affirmation for all dads—the good, the flawed, and those doing the best they can.
Dedicating his latest to “caregivers who give what they never got,” Caldecott Honor winner Robinson explores complicated feelings around fatherhood.
From the outset, the book appears to be a standard-issue Father’s Day offering, pairing brief, loving sentiments with images of animals. But it soon becomes clear that Robinson has crafted something much more complex. A frog with tadpoles nestled atop his back (“Dad is here”) is followed by an illustration of an owl leaving the nest (“Dad had to go away”). More contrasts are presented: a seahorse keeping his offspring safe in his pouch (“Dad holds on tight”), two shark pups swimming away from their frenzied-looking patriarch (“Dad need lots of space”). “Dad lets you down and makes mistakes” (a porcupine accidentally jabs his little one), but “Dad picks you up and makes you feel safe” (a lion snuggles his cub). And the human fathers we meet next—diverse in skin tone and ability—are equally multifaceted. Robinson outdoes himself, his bold and richly textured paint and collage artwork popping against the background. His artwork is rife with subtleties for careful readers—for instance, the look of uncertainty in the eyes of the gorilla father described as “strong.” For all its simplicity, this colorful book is laden with meaning, depicting fathers as vulnerable, imperfect, gentle, and empathetic—in a word, deeply human.
A powerful affirmation for all dads—the good, the flawed, and those doing the best they can. (more information on the animals presented) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781250397041
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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