Perfect for animal lovers and preschoolers with nursery rhymes still fresh on their minds.
Is it possible that once, Old MacDonald didn’t actually live on a farm—or that he didn’t even like animals?
Underwood takes her signature flair for fairy-tale reinvention—on full display in retellings such as Interstellar Cinderella (2015), illustrated by Meg Hunt—and brings it to the world of nursery rhymes. “Old MacDonald” may not have much drama or conflict, so Underwood has smartly imagined a prequel in which a tidy man who dislikes animals reluctantly takes in the creatures that show up one by one on his doorstep. The man’s stance gradually changes; “I don’t like cats” evolves into “Maybe THIS cat isn’t so bad” as he discovers how much more rewarding life is when shared with his new companions. Pham’s busy, animated illustrations convey the main character’s trajectory; the opening endpapers show the man turning his nose up at every pet he encounters as he walks through town, but as he adopts more and more animals, his home becomes brighter and filled with life and sound. When the neighbors complain, he sends the animals away, only to discover the heartbreak of returning to life as it was before. Neither the farm nor the name “Old MacDonald” is revealed until the last spread—a delayed punchline that’s sure to delight. Old MacDonald presents Black; his neighbors are racially diverse.
Perfect for animal lovers and preschoolers with nursery rhymes still fresh on their minds. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780358567134
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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