The Swedish duo that produced the popular Sam books team up for their third book featuring the mischievous and appealing bullterrier Rosa (Rosa Moves to Town, 1997, etc.). Once again, the perky puppy stands in for the average preschooler, as she struggles mightily with the issues of self-control, curiosity, and courage. Rosa’s human “aunt” needs to have Rosa cared for during the day and selects a doggy day-care center for her charge. Youngsters will quickly discover that Rosa’s day-care experiences parallel their own: she has to manage the unique personalities and quirks of her companions while adapting to new routines and rituals. However, a story that begins quietly as a sweet, quotidian catalogue of the day-care experience takes an anxious and scary turn at the close. While on a walk in the park with her doggy companions and their caretaker ladies, the adventurous and ever-curious Rosa ventures onto a frozen pond to investigate the catch of some ice fishermen. She promptly falls through the fishing hole into the freezing-cold water. The fishermen grab Rosa by the ears and pull her to safety. Back at day care, Rosa, now safe and warm, cuddles with her friends until her aunt comes to take her home. All’s well, etc. Eriksson’s soft colored-pencil drawings are rich in endearing details. Rosa and her companions are smartly rendered, with far more fully formed personalities than their human companions. The text is dense on the page when compared with the typical American picture book, and this Rosa story is better shared on the lap than with a group. Best for established fans. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: May 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-88899-391-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life.
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An inspirational picture book offers life advice for readers who want to be themselves.
Replete with sparkling, often quirky illustrations of children living their best lives, this book is a gorgeous guidebook for those seeking encouragement while encountering life’s challenges. The children featured—a racially diverse group ranging from infants to preschoolers—cheerfully navigate the various injunctions that flow through the text: “Be curious.…Be adventurous.…Be persistent.…Be kind.” What is remarkable about the book is that even though the instructions and the brief sentences explaining them are at times vague, the illustrations expand on them in ways readers will find endearing and uplifting. Those depicting painful or challenging moments are especially effective. The “Be persistent” double-page spread shows a child in a boat on stormy seas; it’s rich with deep blues as it emphasizes the energy of wind and rain and struggle in the face of challenge. Together with the accompanying repeated phrase “Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop,” this spread arrests readers. By contrast, the “Be kind. Be understanding” spread simply presents two children’s faces, one cast in blue and the other in gold, but the empathy that Reynolds conveys is similarly captivating. While there is no plot to pull readers through the pages, the book provides rich fodder for caregivers to use as teachable moments, both informally and in classroom settings.
Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-57231-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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