Warmhearted, delightfully quirky, and believable.
Alistair is an African grey parrot who is tortured by his life in captivity.
He narrates his tale in prose and poetry, alternating with Fritz Feldman, an almost-12-year-old boy who works in a pet shop, and Bertie Plopky, an elderly woman. The birds and animals all communicate with one another, displaying unique perspectives. Bertie speaks mainly through letters to her deceased husband, and Fritz keeps a journal. Although they were hatched in the pet shop, Alistair dreams of escaping with his sister, Aggie, to a world of trees and blue sky. His elaborate plans and attempts are always foiled, due in great part to his inability to fly because of a damaged wing. His frustration and anger lead him to pluck his own feathers and bite the hands that feed him. He refuses to see that Aggie is thoroughly content with her life as Fritz’s pet, and when Bertie purchases him, he is resentful and uncooperative in spite of her kindness. As their interactions increase, however, the humans and birds grow a loving friendship, finding insights into themselves and one another. Leonardo carefully balances fantasy with a grounded reality. The three narratives flow nicely at a measured pace over the course of a year, allowing readers to see a complete, complex picture of the intertwining lives. The punny headings and poetry references ("One Flew Over the Parrot's Cage—or—Parrot-ise Lost") will likely fly right over the heads of young readers. The book adheres to the white default.
Warmhearted, delightfully quirky, and believable. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2099-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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