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CLOUD CHASER

Name: CLOUD CHASER
Author: Anne-Fleur Drillon
ISBN: 978-1-78285-411-1

by Anne-Fleur Drillon ; illustrated by Éric Puybaret ; translated by Lisa Rosinsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018

Imaginative youngsters who dream of flight or are of a similar fanciful bent will appreciate this ode to creativity.

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An intergenerational friendship produces a flying machine.

Emery’s head is in the clouds. He dreams of flying and constantly sketches airplane designs. While disapproving of flighty activities, Emery’s parents encourage him to make friends with elderly new neighbor Leon. On a surreptitious foray into Leon’s garden, Emery discovers the man owns supplies with which to construct his dream plane. Another day, having uncannily intuited Emery’s passion, Leon proffers a propeller. Subsequently, the pair forges a strong bond in which Leon, whose soaring imagination matches Emery’s, promotes his friend’s inventiveness. Over one summer, they build a successful flier, though not without mishaps. Leon disappears one day, leaving a note urging Emery to continue inventing. Emery’s selfless act of generosity at the end satisfyingly but poignantly concludes the tale. The child-appealing message is clear in this well-written, gracefully translated French import via Britain: Fly high. Alas, the quirky, colorful acrylic paintings are surprisingly static, and the faces of the characters, both white, are generally unexpressive. Emery, sporting an aviator’s white scarf, shorts, and dark boots, has button eyes and wind-swept hair. White-bearded Leon’s body is lean and lanky, and his hat resembles a propeller, amusingly emphasized in one illustration. Lots of white space and areas of solid colored backgrounds suggest openness, befitting the theme.

Imaginative youngsters who dream of flight or are of a similar fanciful bent will appreciate this ode to creativity. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-78285-411-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Barefoot Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE WATER PRINCESS

by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...

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An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.

Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOU LISTENING?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO I AM
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
CAN YOU SEE IT?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)