Entertaining in premise and execution, this is certain to inspire play among the pots.
Browne’s debut starring his real-life pit bull (Marlo, 2017) featured the canine’s underwater fantasy; this sequel sends the pooch back in time.
The tale opens with the dog snoozing next to a grouping of houseplants. He snuggles a toy dinosaur. Two sentences launch the rest of the story, told almost entirely in pictures: “Marlo awoke from his afternoon nap to a very strange sight. / He decided to investigate.” Looking across the gutter, he spies a small, winged creature carrying a bundle of twigs and disappearing into a newly sprouted living-room forest. A note on the copyright page had asked readers to help Marlo find both that animal and two tiny green beings. This hunt provides the motivation for and much of the fun in moving forward. Browne is adept at building surprises into his pen, watercolor, and digitally colored compositions. Varying perspectives display a vibrant world with fanciful trees and magenta or lavender beasts sporting decorative patterns. The going is calm among the herbivores, but the pace picks up when a gigantic carnivore appears, first seen only as a giant foot—its owner clearly towers over Marlo and the other dinos. The protagonist clings to a swift runner during the resultant stampede. When calm returns, the new friends use sticks gathered by the tiny green animals to build a rocket that propels Marlo home, where his last, bemused gaze is at readers from behind a fern.
Entertaining in premise and execution, this is certain to inspire play among the pots. (Picture books. 3-6)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-244115-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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