by Colleen Muske ; illustrated by Christopher Thornock ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2025
A heartwarming charmer. Readers will root for this horse all the way.
An old horse gets a brand-new lease on life.
Old Blue arrives at a horse rescue farm. Alone and uncertain, he’s wary of his surroundings. A red-haired, pale-skinned young girl named Bobby welcomes him; he responds softly to her kind overtures and receives gentle scratches, fresh carrots, and a new blanket. Bobby also gives him a warm bath. Old Blue meets other horses who live at the farm: They whinny their welcomes, and he responds in kind. Then he and Bobby rest together. Old Blue begins to feel better, but when a strong wind blows, he’s “alarmed. Unsettled. Afraid.” When Bobby assures him he’s safe, her words “soothe his troubled thoughts.” Gradually, Old Blue feels stronger and more courageous. Nighttime finds him snuggled in “deep soft straw” in a cozy stall. After Bobby promises to see him tomorrow, smiling Old Blue realizes he’s “home at last.” Readers may realize—though it’s never stated explicitly—that Old Blue’s former life was likely difficult; he may have suffered neglect, abandonment, and even abuse. Though very gently written, this understated story expertly captures the horse’s deep-seated anxiety and guardedness. Children will be heartened to realize that Old Blue will be treated with the loving attention he and all animals deserve. The illustrations are rendered in a very muted palette, mostly softly applied browns and tans, suggesting serenity.
A heartwarming charmer. Readers will root for this horse all the way. (a message from the author) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781534113213
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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by Colleen Muske ; illustrated by Colleen Muske
by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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More by Tamisha Anthony
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by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Tamisha Anthony
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by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Olivia Amoah
BOOK REVIEW
by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by John Joven
by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Lauren Eldridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Mike Boldt
BOOK REVIEW
by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Mike Boldt
BOOK REVIEW
by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Mike Boldt
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