Whimsical, pretty, and endearing.
Although close friends Bear and Bunny live independently, they decide to acquire a pet together.
In a palette of gentle pastels, two benign, softly cartoonish characters move through pages of woodland and meadow, talking and singing, apart and together. Refreshingly, the animals appear equally content whether together or on their own. They sing. “Wandering together / Wandering together / Wandering together to see what we can see.” This particular little ditty and its pastoral illustration strongly evoke A.A. Milne’s Pooh and Piglet. The youngest readers will be delighted by their own relative sophistication in comparison to the furry friends: “You see, the bear is sure the bunny is a very small bear. The bunny is sure the bear is a very large bunny. This is not so, but it would be too hard to explain it to them. Besides, it doesn’t matter.” This same humor continues through a discussion about what makes an appropriate pet and on to the friends’ eventual choice: a green “kitty” that answers their questions with, “CROAK!” The somewhat lengthy text has a good midpoint for stopping: the first of two naps by the animal friends, before their discussion of pets. The last page of the book is sweet but weak, ending in a conversation; readers may wish that the author had ended with the same narrative voice that so beautifully opens the book.
Whimsical, pretty, and endearing. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7153-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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