A bright, busy book whose layers of detail will repay many reads.
A dog escapes its leash and explores a museum in this oversize search-and-find book from author-illustrator Cliff.
The only text appears on the back cover, where Cliff, whose previous book was A Weekend Trip (2024), introduces readers to some of the characters. Chief among them is Pepin, a small and inquisitive blue dog who’s visiting the museum with his human friend Carlo. In the first of seven marvelously detailed double-page spreads, Pepin can be seen slipping his leash and running off through the entrance hall. Eagle-eyed readers, keen to follow his progress, may find him again in the ancient history hall, the dinosaur hall (investigating an enormous bone), the dog-themed art hall, the ocean life hall, the vehicle and travel hall (riding in a motorcycle sidecar), and finally reunited with Carlo in the outdoor activity area. Many other figures recur throughout the book: Carlo, searching with leash in hand; mischievous twins Rufus and Ruby (climbing a sphinx, sliding down bannisters); red-headed brothers Tommy, Timmy, and Toby (wowed by the woolly mammoth); hoodie-wearing Jordon (always lost in her book); and dozens more, both named and unnamed. Cliff’s digital illustrations have a remarkable depth to them, capturing the scope and scale of the museum with its myriad exhibits and large, diverse cast, which includes people of different ages, genders, races, cultures, and abilities, united in a shared sense of wonder.
A bright, busy book whose layers of detail will repay many reads.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9783791376073
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Prestel Junior
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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