A lovely, gentle, and open-ended introduction to the story of the birth of baby Jesus.
A young fox follows other animals into a stable, where he makes a newborn baby smile.
In this understated, beautifully illustrated Nativity story, a little fox is invited to come along on a journey because a baby will be arriving soon. A woodpecker states, “There’s work to be done.” A cow, a lamb, and a bluebird all plan something to give to the baby, but at each invitation, the fox stays behind to play alone in the snow. Even the stars call out to the fox, but he thinks he has nothing to offer to a baby. A kind donkey invites the fox inside the stable: “Just come. It is enough.” The fox creeps up to the manger, holding up his paws; the baby responds by holding out his arms with a smile. A final wordless page shows the fox curled up asleep next to the lamb. Observant readers will notice the fox is playing with an acorn in the snowy scenes, and he does offer his acorn to the newborn child. The baby has pink skin and auburn hair, and he is never named as Jesus. Only the animals are present in this interpretation; the parents of the baby are not included in the scene. Glowing watercolor illustrations in a loose, expressive style capture the antics of the fox and create an exciting environment of starry skies, snowy fields, and a light-filled stable.
A lovely, gentle, and open-ended introduction to the story of the birth of baby Jesus. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93500-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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