by Cheryl Pilgrim ; illustrated by Cheryl Pilgrim ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2019
Few words pair with lots of humor for a delightful outing.
Two canine friends chase a butterfly in an adventurous romp.
Big, a large, shaggy black dog, and Little, an energetic, small white pup, each react to a passing butterfly differently. When Little takes off in a chase, Big follows “Behind” while Little forges “Ahead.” They go “Over” (Big) and “Under” (Little) a fence, aim their noses “Low” and “High,” and are “Timid” or “Bold” and “Loud” or “Quiet.” Deep, richly hued realistic paintings tell a fuller story than that expressed through the total text of 30 paired opposite words. Pilgrim’s detailed, actively drawn animals reflect expressive—and frequently contrasting—emotions, especially through her depictions of the dogs’ eyes. When the dogs enter a wooded area and encounter an ornery bear that is comically disturbed when the butterfly lands on its nose, the chase becomes a quick scamper home, where the two friends settle on the porch for a rest. Little sprawls “Asleep” atop Big, who stays very much “Awake” anticipating the next caper—like that squirrel….Some careful picture perusing and dialogic reading will extend the narrative beyond the original opposite concepts introduced in this almost wordless story. Big and Little’s owner is never depicted, but pictures on the wall suggest that she is a woman of color.
Few words pair with lots of humor for a delightful outing. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4021-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
by Margi Preus ; illustrated by Cheryl Pilgrim
by Carin Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2013
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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More by Carin Bramsen
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by Carin Bramsen ; illustrated by Carin Bramsen
BOOK REVIEW
by Carin Bramsen ; illustrated by Carin Bramsen
BOOK REVIEW
by Kirsten Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 7, 2023
Let these crayons go back into their box.
The Crayons return to celebrate Easter.
Six crayons (Red, Orange, Yellow, Esteban, who is green and wears a yellow cape, White, and Blue) each take a shape and scribble designs on it. Purple, perplexed and almost angry, keeps asking why no one is creating an egg, but the six friends have a great idea. They take the circle decorated with red shapes, the square adorned with orange squiggles “the color of the sun,” the triangle with yellow designs, also “the color of the sun” (a bit repetitious), a rectangle with green wavy lines, a white star, about which Purple remarks: “DID you even color it?” and a rhombus covered with blue markings and slap the shapes onto a big, light-brown egg. Then the conversation turns to hiding the large object in plain sight. The joke doesn’t really work, the shapes are not clear enough for a concept book, and though colors are delineated, it’s not a very original color book. There’s a bit of clever repartee. When Purple observe that Esteban’s green rectangle isn’t an egg, Esteban responds, “No, but MY GOSH LOOK how magnificent it is!” Still, that won’t save this lackluster book, which barely scratches the surface of Easter, whether secular or religious. The multimedia illustrations, done in the same style as the other series entries, are always fun, but perhaps it’s time to retire these anthropomorphic coloring implements. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Let these crayons go back into their box. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-62105-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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More by Drew Daywalt
BOOK REVIEW
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Alex Willmore
BOOK REVIEW
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
BOOK REVIEW
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
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