A lightweight, undistinguished addition to the flock of similar penguin profiles. Some newly fledged readers may waddle its...
A parade of penguin species, overlaid by a veneer-thin storyline.
Starting with one Galapagos penguin and going on up to 10 Emperors, a succession of avian arrivals fills up the house of penguin-lover Penelope Parker—a “stout” redhead who wears only black and white in Rogers’ smooth-surfaced, increasingly crowded illustrations and, just like her surprise guests, “waddle[s] when she walk[s].” Depicted with reasonable attention to details of beak, crest and other physical features, the feathered interlopers snooze atop the piano, pose in front of the television or paddle about the pond in the yard until Penelope at last trucks them away to the zoo, then goes off to buy a dog. Several pages of penguin information (including a cogent note in the fine print that, no, “it isn’t possible… to have penguins as pets”) and discussion questions follow this predictable episode, supplemented by further resources available on the publisher’s web site. A digital version with added features is also available.
A lightweight, undistinguished addition to the flock of similar penguin profiles. Some newly fledged readers may waddle its way. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-6071-8527-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sylvan Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
This fresh new version will soon have young listeners and readers telling the story themselves.
Retelling a story from her childhood, well-known Bengali-American writer Divakaruni uses lively language, nonsense syllables and traditional rhythms.
When Grandma sets out to visit her daughter and grandchildren, she must cross the jungle in between their villages. She leaves her faithful dogs home to tend her garden. Along the way, she meets a fox, a bear and a tiger that all want to eat her, but she persuades the predators that she will be fatter, plumper and juicier on her way back. She approaches her return journey with trepidation, but the inventive mother and daughter create a plan for a safe trip. The old woman is soon ensconced inside a giant, hollowed-out gourd. When the daughter has sealed her in with stitches and rice glue, she starts the gourd rolling toward her mother’s village. First the tiger and then the bear approach the gourd in hopes of finding something to eat. They are each fooled by the grandma singing out and asking for a push. At last, the crafty fox realizes the trick, but by then, Grandma is so close to home the dogs are able to rescue her. The storyteller’s voice is augmented by frequent repetition and onomatopoeia, making this story a pleasure to read aloud. Intensely colored and patterned collages on glossy paper boldly advance the plot.
This fresh new version will soon have young listeners and readers telling the story themselves. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59643-378-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
A gentle alternative to Bernard Waber’s “You Look Ridiculous,” Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus (1966) and other...
In this Arctic tale, a wolf discontented with his own nature tries on other animals’ features, with dismal results.
Rather than run and play like other wolves, the subject of this apparently original story prefers to spy on caribou, wolverines, and snowy owls. He so envies them that he even collects shed antlers, wisps of long fur, and a dropped feather. So heartfelt is the song he sings of his yearning that with the “Land’s Strength” he is actually able to attach all of these to his body. But then he returns to his pack and discovers that he fits in even worse than before. In fact, his new patchwork features impede his ability to hunt and eat. Away he wanders, wasting away until the “mother of the wolves” comes to him. She coaxes him to return and to live as a wolf. With his pack’s love he is able to undo the changes, healing in both body and spirit. Echoing the narrative’s formal cadences, all of the creatures in Cook’s muted, windswept tundra scenes pose gracefully. The sinuous white wolf cuts a particularly noble figure and so looks all the stranger when decked out in his borrowed finery. But he is never seen as ridiculous, only misguided, and all ends well: “He was a wolf—and that in itself was admirable.”
A gentle alternative to Bernard Waber’s “You Look Ridiculous,” Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus (1966) and other self-acceptance tales. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-7722-7005-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
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