A well-crafted, informative, and entertaining insect adventure.
A young butterfly prepares for her first migration in this illustrated children’s book.
Kai is a purple butterfly who lives in “Taiwan, a beautiful island also known as the Butterfly Kingdom.” She’s preparing for her first migration from the northern tip of Taiwan to the southern district of Maolin. Ami, her older sister, teaches her special butterfly dances along the way. They stop at various Taiwanese landmarks as they travel, including Cape Santiago Lighthouse, Golden Waterfall, Red Hair Fort, Freedom Square, and “the tallest building in Taiwan, Taipei 101.” Kai is unsure of her ability to learn the butterfly dances from Ami. But Ami proves to be her cheerleader, offering her plenty of positive encouragement. As they get closer to their destination, they traverse the Taiwan Central Mountain Range and “pass by trees that reach the moon.” They arrive at the Butterfly Highway and meet a number of new friends who guide them on their way. When Ami is injured, Kai must take her place in the Winter Festival dance show. Kai again lacks confidence in her abilities, and Ami reassures her. Over the course of this book, Lee offers young readers a motivational story of butterfly migration while also sharing informative tidbits about famous locations throughout Taiwan; a glossary provides additional facts about specific spots. In addition, there’s an effective can-do message, shown through the example of Ami and, later, through Kai’s actions. Su’s anthropomorphic butterfly and animal illustrations are colorful and whimsical in ways that are sure to appeal to young children. An array of characters of different ages appear in the images, including an elderly woman who uses a wheelchair.
A well-crafted, informative, and entertaining insect adventure.Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-913891-17-6
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Balestier Press
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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