The delightfully understated illustrations expand the appeal of this poetry collection, creating a cohesive canine community.
Dozens of dogs and their owners meet and greet one another in this poetry collection that includes one poem for each of 38 different dog breeds.
The canine subjects range from tiny lap dogs to popular choices for family pets as well as working dogs such as a German shepherd serving as a police dog. There are no examples of dogs aiding people with disabilities. The rhyming poems range from two to four lines, describing characteristics of each breed or offering some amusing commentary on typical behavior or reputation. The poems’ subjects alternate between male and female dogs, thoughtfully including females for some of the larger breeds. Most of the poems are humorous and cleverly rhymed, with a few that must be read carefully to understand the wordplay or unusual rhyming word pairs. Charming illustrations in watercolor and colored pencil include people of many ages and ethnicities as well as a pair of mischievous squirrels who appear throughout. Another visual connecting device is provided by a little girl in a pink dress and her dad, both with light skin and dark hair, who are seen on every spread, enjoying a day out together and interacting with the dogs in various ways. These two return home to conclude the collection with a poem about being friends with all sorts of dogs, including mutts.
The delightfully understated illustrations expand the appeal of this poetry collection, creating a cohesive canine community. (Picture book/poetry. 3-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-11839-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
Budding zoologists take note.
Animals shout out their habitat names, sometimes finding striking similarities.
In a bouncy follow-up to I Was Born a Baby (2022), Fleming and Scott employ the same format, this time exploring animal homes. Wide-eyed, curious creatures peer out from their dwellings, each announcing where they live. Whenever there is a name that some share (such as nest), one of the animals interrupts to express shock: “Are you for SURE? I had NO clue!” Others (like an owl, a seal, and a gorilla) chime in: “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest, too!” A salamander pipes up: “I live in a bog.” Then a gopher pokes out from the soil, exclaiming, “I live in a mound.” A sleepy groundhog drawls from below, “My place is a burrow hidden in the ground.” The repeated (and dramatically incredulous) refrain helps anchor the story and highlights similarities. There are a variety of animals, in a variety of settings, each with its own vocabulary opportunity. Alas, the animals are not labeled on the pages, but the endpapers provide names, arranged by environments. Ultimately, a diverse set of tots (and their canine and feline friends) showcase the best home of all—a cozy bed, indoors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Budding zoologists take note. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780063205215
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
A simple but effective look at a keystone species.
Sea otters are the key to healthy kelp forests on the Pacific coast of North America.
There have been several recent titles for older readers about the critical role sea otters play in the coastal Pacific ecosystem. This grand, green version presents it to even younger readers and listeners, using a two-level text and vivid illustrations. Biologist Buhrman-Deever opens as if she were telling a fairy tale: “On the Pacific coast of North America, where the ocean meets the shore, there are forests that have no trees.” The treelike forms are kelp, home to numerous creatures. Two spreads show this lush underwater jungle before its king, the sea otter, is introduced. A delicate balance allows this system to flourish, but there was a time that hunting upset this balance. The writer is careful to blame not the Indigenous peoples who had always hunted the area, but “new people.” In smaller print she explains that Russian explorations spurred the development of an international fur trade. Trueman paints the scene, concentrating on an otter family threatened by formidable harpoons from an abstractly rendered person in a small boat, with a sailing ship in the distance. “People do not always understand at first the changes they cause when they take too much.” Sea urchins take over; a page turn reveals a barren landscape. Happily, the story ends well when hunting stops and the otters return…and with them, the kelp forests.
A simple but effective look at a keystone species. (further information, select bibliography, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8934-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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