by Bill Martin Jr and Michael Sampson ; illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2022
This colorful book will make for a vibrant nature-focused storytime.
Cheerful encouragement for a curious nocturnal creature.
This ode to an odd yet appealing animal opens with an introduction to its nighttime world: “Now the day has ended… / Shadows of the evening / dance across the sky.” Then, in couplets, the authors address the armadillo directly, suggesting actions: run, leap, dig, eat, and retreat into its burrow before sunrise. The beats don’t always line up in the second lines of the couplets; those reading the book aloud for an audience should practice. In a nod to previous illustrators of Martin's many popular titles, Beauvois uses a combination of collage on painted paper and digital collage. One page is entirely brushwork (with adjustments made in Photoshop), mostly blues, with a few fish: “look, / or you may fall into the brook.” The next is a close-up of the armadillo “dressed in armor like a knight.” The figures are large and colorful. In spite of the animal's nocturnal habits, the backgrounds are often white, the better for showing to a group. Some armadillo facts are summarized on a final page, with illustrations in an entirely different style. Those who read to preschoolers will welcome the appearance of this new work by these frequent collaborators, the first of several to be published in the coming years. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This colorful book will make for a vibrant nature-focused storytime. (Informational picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-61254-547-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Brown Books Kids
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
More by Bill Martin Jr
BOOK REVIEW
by Bill Martin Jr & Michael Sampson ; illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois
BOOK REVIEW
by Bill Martin Jr & Michael Sampson ; illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois
BOOK REVIEW
by Bill Martin Jr & Michael Sampson ; illustrated by Brian Won
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
More by Audrey Penn
BOOK REVIEW
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
BOOK REVIEW
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Mike Yamada
BOOK REVIEW
by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Craig Manning ; illustrated by Sumi Collina ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
This revisitation of familiar holiday fare doesn’t stand out.
A visit from St. Nicholas with a trip to the barnyard, too.
In their cadence, rhyme scheme, and word choices, Manning’s adapted verses borrow liberally from the original poem credited to Clement C. Moore (and sometimes to Henry Livingston). Occasional word choices can read like missteps rather than innovations, however; the original poem’s “wondering eyes” are recast as “wandering eyes,” for example. Instead of using the poem’s original first-person narrator, this version employs the omniscient third to introduce a little lamb who awakens and observes Santa Claus’ sleigh landing on the farmhouse roof. No one joins her in her observations, but readers are invited to do so as she tries to figure out what’s happening in the full-bleed, rather flat art that seems like something from an animation studio. Eventually, it’s not what the lamb sees but what she hears that moves her from befuddlement to understanding, when Santa (who appears White) laughs “Ho, ho, ho.” As she watches him place presents under the tree in the house, she hopes he’ll have gifts for her, too. He does, of course, and the illustrations show the fruits, veggies, and other animal-friendly treats he puts into their stockings before leaving the little lamb to settle in again to sleep away the rest of Christmas Eve. It’s all sweet but hardly novel.
This revisitation of familiar holiday fare doesn’t stand out. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0625-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Gregory E. Lang
BOOK REVIEW
by Gregory E. Lang ; adapted by Craig Manning ; illustrated by Lisa Alderson
BOOK REVIEW
by Craig Manning ; illustrated by Ernie Kwiat
BOOK REVIEW
by Craig Manning ; illustrated by Ernie Kwiat
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.