Snowy owls, birds of the frozen far north, appear in the lower 48 states only sporadically, in winters when the lemming population has crashed and food is in short supply. Inspired by such a visitation, Hiscock follows an owl through his first year, from egg to hatchling, first flight and migration from the Baffin Island tundra, over the taiga, past Ottawa, to spend the winter on a farm in northern New York before returning to his arctic home. A map of the bird’s imagined journey introduces the narrative, which includes an owl’s growth and development, feeding, natural predators and prey. Detailed watercolors illustrate the varied landscapes, often in sweeping double-page spreads. Although Ookpik (the Inuktitut word for “snowy owl”) is slightly personified for the sake of the story, the narrative generally sticks to the possible facts and an extensive author’s note at the end provides further information. Like his earlier Big Caribou Herd (2003), this conveys the author’s love for that remote part of the world and provides a fine introduction for middle-grade readers. (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59078-461-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2008
Laced with pun-filled humor, this high-spirited tale delivers its food for thought refreshingly free of preachiness.
Bucking three years of failed attempts, four neurodiverse pooches set out to pass their first K-9 exam at Barksdale Academy in this series opener.
Team Comeback’s distractible pups face daunting challenges: Nova’s motivated but clumsy; Harley’s fast but distractible; Duke’s powerful but risk averse; mischievous Peanut hates getting his fur muddy. Nova feels their failures keenly, her older sisters having earned Best in Show. With the agility test looming, she creates a team practice course for test prep, ignoring valuable advice from fluffy-but-brainy Athena. Practice goes poorly: Harley abandons her promising start to chase a squirrel; Duke, who can’t control his fear of heights, ends in a mud puddle, splashing a horrified Peanut. Discouraged, Nova confides in Granny Goldenfur, famous for her “pup talks.” Granny’s wise advice includes setting achievable goals instead of comparing oneself to others. Reluctant to relinquish her dream, Nova doubles down on practice sessions. Not all characters with disabilities struggle; Ollie, who uses a canine wheelchair, is a Barksdale high achiever. However, Team Comeback’s invisible challenges are compounded by inflexible expectations that overvalue and reward compliance with rigid and (for some) unattainable standards, failing to encourage and honor creative accommodation strategies. In an influencer-saturated culture, the message couldn’t be more timely: Nurturing diversity involves redefining success. (Finished art not seen.)
Laced with pun-filled humor, this high-spirited tale delivers its food for thought refreshingly free of preachiness. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-73272-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A rousing introduction to the life of a voyageur told from a unique perspective.
Stowing away with French Canadian fur traders in 1792, a loquacious red squirrel embarks on a life-changing adventure.
Each spring, Jean Pierre Petit Le Rouge, a squirrel with wanderlust, watches brave, strong voyageurs depart in canoes from Montreal and return the following autumn. Determined to be a voyageur, Le Rouge hides in a canoe paddled by eight stout voyageurs, part of a brigade of five. Soon his incessant chattering distracts the voyageurs, who become separated from the rest of the brigade, but, after ascending the highest tree, he points the crew back on course. More than once, pesky Le Rouge barely escapes becoming squirrel ragout. He’s just beginning to feel like a real voyageur when they reach the trading post on Lake Superior, where he discovers the voyageurs exchanging their cargo for animal skins to return to Montreal. Heartsick, Le Rouge decides he cannot be a voyageur if it involves trading animal skins, unless he can change things. Le Rouge relates his story with drama and flair, presenting a colorful prism through which to view the daily life of a voyageur. Peppered with historical facts and (italicized) French phrases and names, this exciting, well-documented tale (with a contemporary animal-rights subtext) proves educational and entertaining. Realistic pencil drawings highlight Le Rouge’s memorable journey.
A rousing introduction to the life of a voyageur told from a unique perspective. (map, pronunciation guide, historical and biological notes, recipe, further reading) (Historical fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4247-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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