A fun read-aloud for the kindergarten set.
In his latest picture book, Bergmann (The Curse of the Baskervilles, 2015, etc.) challenges readers to guess the surprise that frightens a brave cat on a stormy night.
A fierce thunderstorm wakes Sharkie the cat in the middle of what turns out to be “the most terrifying night of my life.” With all the hubbub, “no sense in trying to go back to sleep now,” he thinks. Sharkie stumbles through a dark house lit only in flashes by the lightning, making his way to his litter box on the first floor. Despite the noise of the storm, the burned-out light, and the icy cold floor, he insists he’s not scared, not until he feels something grabbing him with its claws. Sharkie races back to his owner’s bedroom, determined not to let the thing get him. He’s even ready to sacrifice his owner to the monster—“maybe it will take him instead!” Bergmann’s story demands to be read aloud, with plenty of sound effects highlighted in bold: the ka-boom of the thunder, the rat-a-tat-tat of rain hitting the window, even the buzzzzz of the fluorescent light. Soriano’s full-color art complements the text, infusing the rooms Sharkie passes through with spooky, cartoonish atmosphere. Kids will giggle at the creepy photos decorating the hallway and the poor, bedraggled dog shut outside in the storm, pawing at the door to come in. (They may feel sorry for him, too, although Sharkie certainly doesn’t.) Sketches of rain and lightning against a teal background enliven even the pages without illustrations. As for whatever is chasing Sharkie, that’s left out of the picture until the very end, giving kids and grown-up readers alike the chance to guess what it could possibly be. (It’s quite a surprise.) The interactive element makes the book even more fun to read, and while the visual punch line at the end may mildly gross out some parents, it will likely leave young readers giggling.
A fun read-aloud for the kindergarten set.Pub Date: May 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5005-9123-6
Page Count: 46
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
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