A slice-of-life tale that showcases a locale with a rich history.
A mother hen raises her babies in a Florida restaurant patio in Schiller’s debut picture book, based on a true story.
Henrietta, a black hen, and Cock-a-Doodle-Do, a white rooster, are a mated pair in the tourist town of Ybor City, Florida. The town, says the narrator, long ago became home to various immigrants who “loved their new country, their community and their new lives. They also loved their chickens.” Indeed, the birds are tourist attractions, so residents are careful not to harm them. Henrietta and Cock-a-Doodle-Do scout several locations that aren’t quite right for hatching chicks before settling in at the “World Famous Gaspar’s Grotto, the notorious pirate bar of Ybor City,” a real-life establishment that the author owns. Captain Ehab (a stand-in for Schiller) quickly finds ways to protect the chickens amid weekend crowds, and soon, the eggs hatch three black and three white chicks. This illustrated story has the feel of Robert McCloskey’s classic Make Way for Ducklings (1941) but with more challenging vocabulary and setin a very different part of the United States. Balbás’ realistic, grayscale cartoon images capture the unique setting and the personalities of fowl and humans alike. Overall, Schiller offers a deft celebration of immigrants that highlights respect for others and acceptance of differences.
A slice-of-life tale that showcases a locale with a rich history.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64749-127-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Go to Publish
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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