A sweet, funny exhortation to dream big.
An adoring otter longs to become an elephant.
Randal lounges on a large rock with his pal Clive, marveling at the majesty of the elephants. Clive is not so impressed, but he listens patiently. When Clive suggests that Randal become one, Randal decides to follow his dream. Randal tells the other otters of his plan and goes to live with the elephants. Randal sends Clive a series of letters, talking optimistically about his new life. The elephants, he reports, play a game with him in which they pretend not to notice him. “It’s hilarious!” Enclosed snapshots make clear the elephants’ total disregard for the eager otter. The other otters decide to visit him, addressing the elephant they feel has “a very Randal quality”; it just looks nonplussed. When they return home, they’re surprised to find Randal there, looking very much like an otter. He explains that being an elephant was “kinda cool, but not as great as he thought it would be.” The next day, Randal and Clive are lounging on their large rock, watching the giraffes. Randal wonders….Gavin’s simple story should be a reminder to children to dive in and explore life. Her lovely illustrations combine realistic depictions of animals with soft colorful backgrounds that suggest watercolors, using body language and posture rather than aggressive anthropomorphization to develop her characters visually. A two-page appendix offers interesting facts about elephants and otters.
A sweet, funny exhortation to dream big. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-943978-34-2
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Persnickety Press
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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
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
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