by Charles Bongers illustrated by Charles Bongers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2022
An engaging, effectively illustrated introduction to a rarely covered nature subject for young readers.
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Nuts the Squirrel explains how mother trees protect seedlings in this picture book.
Like pigs, ducklings, dogs, and cats, trees have mothers—who protect their babies from insects, filter pollution, and provide water to saplings in times of scarcity. “Mother trees are easy to spot,” Nuts says, “they’re the tall ones in the middle of all their babies.” Forest ecosystems are not just about animal life. Bongers’ story offers a refreshing exploration of how plants “talk” to one another that is useful in part because of its simplicity and visual appeal. The author’s offbeat, digital art wavers between the cartoonish and the near psychedelic. Nuts has bulging eyes and a funky little smile, and he’s accompanied by silly props to illustrate the actions he describes. But the transfer of information and water between tree root systems appears as a subterranean, swirling network in contrasting, complementary colors. Information about the world appears as small white lines and circles traveling from deep, mature roots to a sapling’s smaller ones. Satisfying symmetry and halos of pale light around the crowns of trees bring a nearly spiritual tone to the pictures even as cartoon animals goof off nearby. Endmatter helps adults find more information on mother trees and their place in the forest ecosystem.
An engaging, effectively illustrated introduction to a rarely covered nature subject for young readers.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-77162-325-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Sara Levine ; illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 2020
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough.
Children are introduced to the concepts of sorting and classifying in this bedtime story.
It is getting close to bedtime, and Marco’s mother asks him to put his toys away. Marco—who thinks of himself as a scientist—corrects her: “You mean time to sort the animals.” And that’s what he proceeds to do. Marco sorts his animals into three baskets labeled “Flying Animals,” “Swimming Animals,” and “Animals That Move on Land,” but the animals will not sleep. So he sorts them by color: “Mostly Brown,” “Black and White,” and “Colors of the Rainbow,” but Zebra is upset to be separated from Giraffe. Next, Marco sorts his animals by size: “Small,” “Medium,” and “Large,” but the big animals are cramped and the small ones feel cold. Finally, Marco ranges them around his bed from biggest to smallest, thus providing them with space to move and helping them to feel safe. Everyone satisfied, they all go to sleep. While the plot is flimsy, the general idea that organizing and classifying can be accomplished in many different ways is clear. Young children are also presented with the concept that different classifications can lead to different results. The illustrations, while static, keep the focus clearly on the sorting taking place. Marco and his mother have brown skin. The backmatter includes an explanation of sorting in science and ideas for further activities.
Nothing riveting but serviceable enough. (Math picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62354-128-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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by Greg Pizzoli ; illustrated by Greg Pizzoli ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2016
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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