A cozy, nonthreatening preschoolers’ introduction to some honeybee basics.
A little boy who enjoys observing honeybees has a magical adventure with them.
The narrator, a pale-skinned tot with close-cropped black hair, sits on an overturned flowerpot, gazing at the bees flying in and out of a bright blue hive. Inexplicably but delightfully, two bees have brought him an itty-bitty bee suit that shrinks him to “the size of a teeny-weeny honeybee.” Bella and Beatrice usher him past the guards and into the hive, which is dark but “smell[s] LOVELY.” Scaling the comb, he observes workers feeding beatifically smiling larvae, meets the Queen, and witnesses the waggle dance that, Bella informs him, “shows us where to find flowers.” Following a brief flight—his suit is equipped with tiny wings—he helps his friends gather strawberry nectar and dandelion pollen. Taking the suit off restores him to his full size, and the next day he thoughtfully “plant[s] lots of seeds and flowers” for his new friends. Readers accustomed to Voake’s flowing ink-and-wash paintings will note a departure here; these illustrations are constructed out of cut paper embellished with her familiar brushy lines. The focus is on whimsy rather than verisimilitude—these bees have just four legs, for instance—but this is a fantasy, after all. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cozy, nonthreatening preschoolers’ introduction to some honeybee basics. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2045-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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