This upbeat tale of an irrepressible pooch is sure to leave readers smiling.
A dog born without hind legs must think fast when his wheelchair gets a flat tire.
Poojo, a bug-eyed, gray-and-white pup, is unfazed by his lack of hind legs—after all, he’s got snazzy red wheels, with “cool pockets to store stuff.” But above all, he’s got a happy-go-lucky personality. “He’s a good friend to everyone… / and everything,” Charrow notes wryly as Poojo cozies up to a kid’s scooter. “He can do anything,” be it chasing a squirrel, popping wheelies, or, in an energetic double-page spread, outrunning the competition at the dog park’s obstacle course. But when Poojo vexingly gets a flat tire, he must be resourceful. After some trial and error, Poojo and his tiny, pink rabbit sidekick find a solution…along with a clever costume for the doggie costume parade. Elongated pages and ample white space highlight the quirky cartoon illustrations, especially Poojo’s simple but endearing expressions: worry, annoyance, and, above all, happiness. Background characters add amusing notes: A pigeon snorkels in the birdbath, and the other dogs sport wonderfully silly costumes. With straightforward brevity (most spreads have at most one sentence), the text treats Poojo’s condition with matter-of-fact good humor, simultaneously acknowledging the occasional inconvenience of his disability and demonstrating coping skills. Adding to the cheerful tone, the typeface’s large, well-spaced letters curl slightly at the ends, recalling Poojo’s wagging corkscrew tail.
This upbeat tale of an irrepressible pooch is sure to leave readers smiling. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1036-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
