Young animal lovers, especially those compelled by the story of the stranded baby hippo and giant tortoise introduced in Isabella and Craig Hatkoffs’ Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (2006), will be eager to read about this unlikely pairing between a stray dog and an orangutan in a wildlife preserve. Charming, close-up full-color photos show expressions on the animals' faces and convey their closeness. While it seems clear that the pictures were staged after the fact—when Roscoe first arrives at the preserve he is "thin and he needed a bath," but the photo shows a sleek, healthy Roscoe, for example—most kids won't care about that; they'll simply want to see more of the friends having fun. Suryia seems nearly human in his interactions with Roscoe: He smiles, hugs and poses for the camera, which could spark discussions about the fact that all living things are related, especially how and why primates are similar to people. A surprising amount of information about animals is folded into the brief narrative: It's explained that dogs smile by wagging their tails and that dogs and orangutans aren't normally friends; also, other animals living at the preserve are shown. The clean, photo album–like design, high-interest topic, accessible text and captivating images will likely garner Suryia and Roscoe legions of new friends. (author's note, map) (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 26, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9316-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Noted storyteller Bruchac (Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving, p. 1498, etc.) teams up with his son, James (Native American Games and Stories, not reviewed) to present a pourquoi tale from the East Coast Native American tradition. Bear is undeniably big; he is also a braggart, given to walking through the forest and proclaiming his superiority to all within earshot: “I can do anything! Yes, I can!” When he hears this, little Brown Squirrel challenges Bear to tell the sun not to rise the next day. This Bear does, and when the sun does in fact rise despite his injunction not to, Brown Squirrel unwisely gloats: “Bear is foolish, the sun came up. Bear is silly, the sun came up.” Thanks to trickery, Brown Squirrel escapes with his life, but not before Bear claws the stripes into his back that cause him to change his name to Chipmunk. The Bruchacs translate the orality of the tale to written text beautifully, including dialogue that invites audience participation. Aruego and Dewey’s (Mouse in Love, p. 886, etc.) signature cartoon-like illustrations extend the humor of the text perfectly. One spread shows the faces of all the animals rejoicing in the yellow light of the newly risen sun—all except Bear, whose glower contrasts ominously with Brown Squirrel’s glee. Clever use of perspective emphasizes the difference in size between boastful Bear and his pint-sized trickster opponent. Authors’ notes precede the story, explaining the history of the tale and each teller’s relationship to it. A winner. (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2404-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
Good fun for early counters.
A one-to-10 counting book featuring a cast of active pigeons.
“One bright and sunny morning, ten pigeons” sit on a wire when along come some bees and throw them all into a tizzy. A handful of the pigeons take off—readers can count their tails in the margins of the pages—so “OK. Let’s try that again. Um, ten minus six is… …four.” Readers can see right on the wire there that if six pigeons fly off, that leaves four—math at its most accessible. Well, there are four until one finds a sandwich that lures four of the dispersed birds to return. That adds up to eight. And there they are, that now gray and cloudy morning, when it starts to rain and six pigeons fly away to seek shelter. Again, readers can count the birds to arrive at the new number, or they can work the equation that is provided: “Let's see…eight minus six is…”? On the counting game goes via interruptions into the twilight, when the narrator gives up—these pigeons won’t stay still long enough to introduce them—until it comes time to go to bed and end the story. Citro’s exasperated text works hand in glove with Watson’s comical birds to make this counting game a joy rather than a task. The narrative text expresses equations in words, and corresponding number sentences are tucked into the scenes.
Good fun for early counters. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-943147-62-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Innovation Press
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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