LOLA AND I

Name: LOLA AND I
Author: Chiara Valentina Segré
ISBN: 978-1-55455-363-1

by Chiara Valentina Segré ; translated by Chiara Valentina Segré ; illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2015

A truly inclusive, heartfelt (guide) dog tale.

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A picture book honored internationally for its depiction of disability portrays the friendship between a girl and her dog.

Lola, says the narrator, is her best friend, even if they don't always agree. When they met, Lola was ill and afraid to go outside, trembling at the sound of cars. But with patience, they could explore more and more together. Domeniconi's warm, soft-focus illustrations are inviting as the pair shop in an Italian city, have a snack in the park, go tobogganing, and even have their portrait painted at the seashore. Such touches as the televised black-and-white movie glimpsed through their window are casually comforting. The narrator's fond descriptions of Lola running on the beach and becoming entangled in many-textured clothes imply that Lola, "that little scoundrel," is the black Lab in the pictures. Not until a luminous hand reaches out in a two-page spread of misty blue-blackness does the narrator explain: Lola, blinded in a car accident five years ago, is her human. She, Star, is Lola's guide dog. Though the illustrations offer clues as to who's who, the clues' likely invisibility to blind readers lends this revelation additional surprise and emphasizes Segré's equally strong text. Composed of vivid, sight-free sensory details, the text's parallel treatment of Star and Lola symbolizes the close bond between dog and human, felt rather than seen.

A truly inclusive, heartfelt (guide) dog tale. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-55455-363-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
OSCAR THE GUARDIAN CAT
by Chiara Valentina Segré ; illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi

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BERTIE WINGS IT!

by Leslie Gorin ; illustrated by Brendan Kearney ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2016

A song with sour notes aplenty

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What sort of equipage does a young bird need to take that first flight?

In a tale that will ruffle many a feather, Gorin casts a fledgling whose eager readiness to take wing from his nest is repeatedly deflected by flightless, grown-up naysayers. First is Admiral Bird the penguin, who insists that classroom flight instruction is necessary (young Bertie accordingly “read maps, learned apps, and ran laps”). Then Prunella Flapdoodle the emu informs him that he needs testing and a license from the Department of Migrating Varmints. Finally, a fashion critique from kiwi Monique von Beaque sends him to the Chic Bird-tique. Can the “dapper flapper” launch at last? No, down he crashes beneath the weight of “maps, apps, frocks, socks, charts, parts, and papers.” But the loss of all that impedimenta leads to the epiphany that nature has already given him all that he ever needed to fly. Kearney casts his owlish protagonist in preppy duds and places him in a teeming treetop city of nests and birdhouses where he is surrounded by diverse flocks of wide-eyed avian passersby, classmates, and DMV captives. Gorin’s use of rhyming words does give the narrative lots of lift, but the negative messages about the dispensability of knowledge, government, and cultural norms sets this up as Oh, the Places You’ll Go for slackers and dropouts.

A song with sour notes aplenty . (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: June 14, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4549-1573-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE CAT WITH SEVEN NAMES

by Tony Johnston ; illustrated by Christine Davenier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2013

Children will likely enjoy this visit to a newly united neighborhood, even if the catalyst for its creation is more device...

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A friendly cat worms his way into the affections of a number of neighbors, gains new names (and enough extra meals to pack on a few pounds), and eventually brings together residents new and old.

Variously christened “Stuart Little,” “Kitty-boy,” “Placido,” “Mooch,” “Dove” and “Mouse,” the round gray cat offers companionship to a lonely librarian, an elderly gentleman, a widowed Hispanic opera lover, a red-haired policewoman with a fondness for fast food, a homeless vet, and a girl and her mom just settling into their new home. A (happy) twist at the end removes the cat from this particular community, but his presence, however temporary, has a lasting impact. Johnston’s text is smooth and conversational, with pleasantly distinct voices for each of the characters, but it may prove overly long for some young listeners. The themes of diversity and connection are commendable, but occasionally, they seem to outweigh Johnston’s plump hero. Davenier’s soft ink-and–colored-pencil illustrations, mostly double-page spreads, have the fluidity of watercolors as well as a scratchy, scruffy charm. Repeated patterns and colors create a cohesive feel, as does the appearance of various characters in the background both before and after they have been introduced.

Children will likely enjoy this visit to a newly united neighborhood, even if the catalyst for its creation is more device than distinct individual. (Picture book. 6-8)