An enjoyable, big-hearted story of found-family sibling rivalry.
In this illustrated children’s book, a rescue dog sees his perfect new life disturbed when a second pooch is adopted into the family.
Tucker, who looks like an orange-brown cross between a Shar Pei and a Labrador, lives in a foster home for dogs. Though not small, he is dwarfed by his fellow canines. He is always last in line for food, ever denied the after-dinner bone treats. Tucker’s life changes for the better when he is adopted. Suddenly, he is the center of attention. But then his new owners adopt a second dog, the tiny Chihuahua Zoey. What follows is a mishap-laden back-and-forth battle as Tucker tries to protect a bone—the symbol of his happy, new circumstances—from the big-eared, bean-thin interloper. Though Tucker wins, he changes his mind about Zoey when told her history: As the runt of a large litter, she “had no one who cared.” Tucker decides to share and to become Zoey’s protective foster brother: “Gazing up at his people, Tucker saw their proud smiles. / Now the bone war seemed silly and hardly worthwhile. / Zoey was not an intruder but a sibling instead, / Who quickly decided. . .to steal Tucker’s bed!” The conclusion leads neatly into the second Tucker and Zoey volume, The Bed War (2019). Bensing tells a sweet, affecting, and entertaining tale (reminiscent of Al Perkins’ classic beginner book, The Digging-est Dog, 1967). Unfortunately, the unwieldy verse that favors end rhymes at the expense of rhythmic meter and the occasional text-heavy pages do detract a little from the zesty goings-on. Feather’s full-color illustrations skillfully bestow Tucker and Zoey with cartoonish, larger-than-life personalities. But much of the action takes place against blank or minimally sketched, papyrus-textured backdrops. For all the fun and frolicking, younger readers may wish for a splash more color and detail.
An enjoyable, big-hearted story of found-family sibling rivalry.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 9781733079105
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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