by Alison Green & illustrated by Deborah Allwright ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010
Fear of the fox makes strange bedfellows. Under the light of a full moon, Rabbit runs for his life, pursued by a fox. He reaches home just in time. A rat-a-tat-tat at the door sends Rabbit's ears straight up. It's not Fox, but a Duck, like Rabbit seeking safety. Rabbit reluctantly agrees to share his bed with Duck, but no sooner has the pair settled in than there's another rat-a-tat-tat. A tired mouse seeks shelter, then a little lamb. The bed is getting comically crowded. Another knock: It's "A Fox in the Dark!" But—it's just a small, scared fox looking for his mother. Young readers should be able to guess who knocks on the door next. In the end, big mommy Fox provides a snug sleeping place for all the other animals. Green's text is written in a gentle rhyme, and Allwright makes all the animals adorable. She varies her compositions inventively, incorporating some graphic-style storytelling and capitalizing on the contrast between Rabbit's lantern light and the surrounding shadows. Just right for a bedtime story. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58925-091-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
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by Alison Green
by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Sean Julian ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Judi Abbot
BOOK REVIEW
by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
Willems’ formula is still a winner.
The pigeon is back, and he is filthy!
Readers haven’t seen the pigeon for a couple of years, not since The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (2012), and apparently he hasn’t bathed in all that time. Per the usual routine, the bus driver (clad in shower cap and bathrobe) opens the story by asking readers to help convince the pigeon to take a bath. Though he’s covered in grime, the obstreperous bird predictably resists. He glares at readers and suggests that maybe they need baths. With the turn of the page, Willems anticipates readers’ energetic denials: The pigeon demands, “YEAH! When was the last time YOU had a bath?!” Another beat allows children to supply the answer. “Oh.” A trio of flies that find him repulsive (“P.U.!”) convinces him it’s time. One spread with 29 separate panels depicts the pigeon adjusting the bath (“Too wet!…Too cold.…Too reflective”) before the page turn reveals him jumping in with a spread-filling “SPLASH!” Readers accustomed to the pigeon formula will note that here the story breaks from its normal rhythms; instead of throwing a tantrum, the pigeon discovers what readers already know: “This is FUN!” All the elements are in place, including page backgrounds that modulate from dirty browns to fresh, clean colors and endpapers that bookend the story (including a very funny turnabout for the duckling, here a rubber bath toy).
Willems’ formula is still a winner. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9087-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems
by Mo Willems & illustrated by Mo Willems
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by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems
BOOK REVIEW
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems
BOOK REVIEW
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems
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