A bright, bouncy, beautifully illustrated space-travel fantasy for kids.
A kid and his parrot blast off in search of Mars and lose their way exploring the wonders of the galaxy in this picture book from Corcoran.
In this sequel to Treasure Isle: A Swashbuckling Tale of a Boy and his Parrot (2021), we meet the boy (who is never referred to by name), a red-headed primary school child with a sunny outlook and a propensity for daydreaming (“The boy had a parrot, a book about stars, / A small rocket ship, and directions to Mars”). One day, having indulged in some stargazing with his affable, green-colored pet parrot, he decides they should visit Mars together. They take off in a backyard rocket ship and have fun drawing pictures and playing chess in zero gravity; soon, however, they find themselves lost. Having asked directions from some passing Martians, they make it to the Red Planet and enjoy a picnic with their new friends before heading home again; ultimately it’s revealed that they are spinning yarns from within a cardboard-box play rocket. Corcoran relates the boys’ escapades in rhyming anapestic tetrameter, affording the story a jaunty, surging rhythm. Lundeen’s watery crayon-and-paint illustrations capture both the wondrous unknown of outer space and the pastel daydreaming of a fantasist in full flight. The boy and his parrot (in particular) brim with personality. The neighboring children represent a range of ethnicities, while the brief addendum of space facts (e.g., “It rains diamonds on Jupiter”) helps elucidate the specific landing places along the boy’s journey.
A bright, bouncy, beautifully illustrated space-travel fantasy for kids.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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