An imaginative marine romp threaded with eco-friendly messaging.
A grandmother and grandchild visit a local beach.
The child gathers “seaside treasures. Limpets, periwinkles, mussel shells, and whelks. Gifts from the sea, just for me.” Then Gran excitedly points out a seal. Entranced, the young protagonist steps into the “wide, wide sea.” Imagination takes over as the youngster transforms into a white seal, swimming alongside the gray marine mammal. The painterly images are filled with realistic wildlife sure to intrigue burgeoning naturalists; potentially unfamiliar birds like gannets and kittiwakes flock alongside sandpipers and seagulls, red crabs cavort on the rocks, and jellyfish stretch their tendrils as the seals make their way to the surface. Eventually, the gray seal leaves, and the child longs to see him again, but a storm rolls in. Conditions aren’t as idyllic the following morning. Trees have fallen, and garbage has washed up. But as people gather to clean the beach, the child and grandmother pitch in, picking up plastic waste and other detritus, making the beach safe for all, including the seal, who has returned. Wilson’s simple, child-centered, and frequently lyrical text pairs well with Løvlie’s illustrations, which shift in color from tranquil blues to more intense colors as the storm rages. This is an excellent read-aloud to help young children understand both the issues plaguing our planet and ways to effect change. The main characters are brown-skinned; their community is diverse.
An imaginative marine romp threaded with eco-friendly messaging. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9798887771557
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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