An endearing, if slightly stiff , children’s book about bullying.
Debut author and retired educator Dudley takes on the subject of bullying through the adventures of Siggy, a spunky, one-winged mockingbird.
Ever since he was adopted by Mama Sparrow, Siggy has led a blissful life in his forest home. Or, at least, it would be—if he could escape the persistent bullying of Ickie and Vickie, a pair of mean-spirited blue jays who like to pick on other birds. When the jays corner Siggy on a strawberry-gathering expedition, he uses his own special gift for mimicking others’ voices to outwit them. Later, he learns the importance of discussing social problems with an adult. Dudley emphasizes the story’s moral in a brief discussion guide that follows the main text, offering questions and advice for children who are currently being victimized by bullies. Debut illustrator Reynolds’ snappy, comic-book style illustrations will likely draw in reluctant readers, but the story itself falls short in its refusal to grapple with real-life complexities. For example, she renders the characters in a reductive, good-or-evil fashion, and many children many not be convinced by the ease with which Siggy resolves his problems. Occasionally mawkish or stilted dialogue contributes to the lack of authenticity, and some lines seem almost expressionless: “They’re being mean to everyone today. You should watch out.” Readers may also find Siggy’s family interactions a little saccharine. That said, it’s refreshing to read a children’s book in which single-parent families, adopted children and disabilities are portrayed as normal and unremarkable, and the resources at the end of the book may help spark frank conversations about the issues Dudley raises.
An endearing, if slightly stiff , children’s book about bullying.Pub Date: June 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-1457519949
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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