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BÉBERT

Name: BÉBERT
Author: Brandon Ferebee
ISBN: 978-1-71487-942-7

OR: HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE THE BUG

by Brandon Ferebee ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An appealing, playful tale about unique creature learning to fit in.

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A decapod travels to France as a specimen and becomes a member of a scientist’s household in this whimsical tale by Ferebee, the author/illustrator of The Songs that Paper Sings (2015).

When Professor Bagette discovers a 10-legged, one-eyed, spiderlike bug on an island jaunt, he’s eager to get the creature home to his lab in France. There, he shows it to his housekeeper, Madame Gazou, who “never had gotten used to his collection of creepy crawly things!” She does her best to adjust when the new bug grows to enormous size, due to the effects of the professor’s “experimental plant solution.” The homesick bug, whom the professor names Bébert, learns how to be a useful part of the household, cleaning alongside Madame Gazou and keeping his webs to one corner of a room. When Bébert begins to play his web like a harp, the music is so enchanting that Professor Bagette decides to introduce him to the villagers. Though they’re initially afraid, the villagers quickly recognize how remarkable Bébert is, and the town merchants even give him a nice beret and shoes to even his gait. (The French villagers all have pale skin, and their old-fashioned clothing gives the sense of an earlier era than the present.) This whimsical story has plenty of charm, and young, independent readers will find it accessible, despite lengthy sections of text. Ferebee integrates French phrases and honorifics smoothly, and the narrator’s occasional direct statements to the audience (“well, wouldn’t you?”) will encourage lap readers to chime in with responses. However, the author interchangeably uses the terms “insect” and “spider” for 10-legged Bébert, which may have knowledgeable, critter-loving preschoolers up in arms. She also neglects an opportunity to introduce young readers to the definition of the word “decapod.” Her mixed-media illustrations are the book’s highlight, featuring painted backgrounds layered with cutout characters and objects, and they create a soft, enjoyable aesthetic.

An appealing, playful tale about unique creature learning to fit in.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-1-71487-942-7

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atticus Porch Press

Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2020

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A DOG NAMED SAM

by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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HOME

by Carson Ellis ; illustrated by Carson Ellis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 2015

Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.

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Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”

Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.

Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)