adapted by Brad Sneed & illustrated by Brad Sneed ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2004
In a new retelling of Anderson’s tale of a tiny girl traded from frog to bug to rodent, adaptor and illustrator Sneed creates a lush, Lilliputian world of jewel-eyed insects and gargantuan flowers. The attentive creatures, all in love with the frail Thumbelina, are only slightly personified à la Wind in the Willows. Alternating between one- and two-page, full-bleed illustrations, Sneed uses perspective to great advantage, casting each creature as considerably larger than Thumbelina. As she sleeps alone in the forest, for instance, the leaves above her are huge and even a nearby caterpillar is twice her size. The spot illustrations that accompany the text also help to move the story forward, a tiny one of Thumbelina standing by the near-dead bird, emphasizing the moment of loss. Sneed’s luminous watercolors make this a nice package. The text, however, does sometimes outpace the illustrations, which might cause confusion or questions. Not perfect, but collections in need of more Anderson will welcome this. (Picture book. 4-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8037-2812-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2004
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by Loren Long & illustrated by Loren Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
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More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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