A charming enemies-to-friends tale with big personalities.
A troll and a fish realize that they can help instead of harm each other in this Scandinavian-inspired legend.
Oscar the troll, star of Cetas and Kose’s Oscar and the Awful, Horrible Smell (2022), loves to fish. Otto is a fish who plays pranks on anglers, evading all attempts at capture. When Otto arrives at Oscar’s pond, a challenge of wills begins. Otto eats the worms from Oscar’s hook and net, so Oscar tricks Otto with a clear line and hook. “Oscar and Otto both pulled and pulled and pulled.” The line breaks, leaving Oscar frustrated and Otto hurting, with the hook still stuck in his mouth. When Oscar tries ice fishing, unable to wait until spring, the troll falls through the ice—rescued by none other than Otto! Determined to catch the fish to remove the hook, Oscar makes a new plan, this time ending in friendship. The two wily characters, well depicted in both Cetas’ prose and Kose’s gentle cartoon illustrations, will have readers delighted that neither loses in the end. Cetas uses some repeated story beats, building Oscar’s frustration and Otto’s arrogant behavior, and Kose compliments those moments, adding Otto’s peers into the illustrations to show that his lack of humility has not won him many friends. With plenty of repeated words to help young children decipher the vocabulary, this is a good choice for emergent readers.
A charming enemies-to-friends tale with big personalities.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 41
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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