An engaging blend of personal narrative and environmental education.
An Icelandic rescue tradition pairs conservation urgency with childhood determination.
Paeff chronicles pale-skinned young Freya’s nighttime adventures on Iceland’s Westman Islands, where children stay up late during puffling season to rescue baby puffins that have landed in town instead of in the water. Drawing inspiration from a real-life brigade of volunteers known as the Puffling Patrol, the matter-of-fact narrative captures Freya’s determination to catch a puffling on her own after multiple fumbles, building to a satisfying moment of triumph. Ólafsdóttir’s gouache and colored pencil illustrations are dazzling, particularly in their sophisticated use of light and perspective. Nocturnal scenes glow with the luminescence of flashlight beams cutting through darkness and the ethereal shimmer of northern lights, while dramatic shifts in viewpoint—from aerial perspectives of the sleeping island to intimate close-ups of Freya and a puffling crouched by an excavator—create visual dynamism. The spreads depicting Freya’s failed rescue attempts demonstrate masterful use of white space, with sequential vignettes floating against emptiness to emphasize both the humor and frustration of a puffling escape. Diverse children work together with genuine camaraderie throughout. Extensive backmatter explains why pufflings need rescuing, details the Puffling Patrol’s origins, explains that children are especially well suited to this work (pufflings often hide in “kid-sized spaces”) and addresses the sobering reality of declining puffin populations due to climate change.
An engaging blend of personal narrative and environmental education. (puffin facts, bibliography, resources) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781665980227
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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