A sweet little family tale.
Who can make Mama Rabbit feel better?
Mama Rabbit’s 10 little ones are worried when she feels too poorly to get out of bed. She assures them that their Papa has gone to fetch medicine, but these caring bunnies don’t wait idly by for their father’s return; instead, in a narrative that feels akin to DuBose Heyward and Marjorie Flack’s Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (1939), each little kit offers Mama a gift to help her recover as she rests. By the time Papa comes back with the medicine, Mama doesn’t need it, since her children’s efforts have worked to make her feel better. Then the 10 little rabbits put on a show for their parents, complete with top hats and carrots. While the story is a bit slim, the conceit of a role reversal that finds children caring for a parent feels fresh, and Lobel’s soft style and Easter-egg palette of gouache and watercolors create a gentle and inviting lapine world. As always with Lobel, the treats are in the details. One by one, each little bunny finds something to comfort Mama with (a handkerchief, an apple) in a medallion at the top of the page and below bestows it, in a larger, rectangular illustration. Sharp-eyed children will notice that the bags under Mama’s eyes smooth out and she sits up straighter with each gift.
A sweet little family tale. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-385-75368-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Funny, feathery finesse.
In this wordless picture book, a fledgling robin with a vivid imagination keeps resisting its father’s encouragement to fly.
The first double-page spread clearly and cleverly shows a sequence in which a young robin in its nest passes gradually from the stage of pink and un-feathered to fluffy and then flight-ready. The father robin has been busily stuffing the child’s beak with whole worms, another signal that the youngster is maturing. Bold brush strokes and strong colors depict the birds, their nest on a branch, and surrounding foliage—with plenty of negative space to make room for speech bubbles. The “speech” consists of clear images showing a comical struggle between parent and child. Most of the “conversation” takes place on the ground, after the fledgling has inadvertently tumbled from its nest. The anthropomorphic facial expressions and body language are laugh-out-loud funny, as are the fledgling’s ridiculous, naïve pictorial retorts to every reason the adult gives for learning to fly. The baby imagines itself using all kinds of transportation—including, but not limited to, gaily colored hot air balloons, skateboards, and trains—and the father becomes increasingly frustrated. Children will giggle at the power struggle, recognizing human behaviors. Robins, like humans, share all aspects of parenting, and it is commendable that the art depicts this parent as male. As nightfall approaches, the adult finally succeeds in motivating its child, leading to a harmonious concluding scene.
Funny, feathery finesse. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5128-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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