A relatable and heartfelt avian adventure with an appealing cast.
A shy osprey finds her confidence in this third installment of a chapter-book series.
Small and quiet, Opie does not fit in with her fellow ospreys. Hoping for some alone time, she seeks refuge in the mountains, where she is attacked by an eagle. She is rescued by her worried brother, Oscar, who scares the predator away. As Opie convalesces, the other ospreys indulge in gossip. Their aloofness causes Opie to withdraw even more than usual. Concerned, Oscar consults the wise owl Woo, who explains that Opie is an introvert and “all you can do is to support her, not make her decisions.” During the osprey migration, Opie, Oscar, and their brother Otto get separated from the others following a hurricane. Opie skillfully retraces the “migration flight pattern” and instructs her brothers to circle, yelp, and listen until they locate their injured parents. To her brothers’ surprise, Opie takes charge of mom's and dad’s healing. She even protects them from a hungry coyote. Opie “was developing into something new: a nurturer and caregiver, things she had never been before.” When the birds are strong enough to fly home, Opie leads the way. The other ospreys are surprised the family made it out of the storm alive and are shocked to learn that it was Opie—who now goes by her full name, Oprah—who kept the clan safe. The community’s elders are so impressed that they “thought about bringing Oscar, Otto, and Oprah within their council,” meaning “Oprah would be the first female elder—ever!” Eloquently written and engaging, Polansky’s story depicts the importance of courage in the face of hardships. The tale also emphasizes the need to respect different personality traits, temperaments, and abilities. Readers will root for the kind, empathetic characters here, particularly the three siblings who support one another during difficult times. The book occasionally references events in the author’s previous installments, such as how “Oscar was famous among the ospreys” and once had a fear of heights. Still, the story can easily be enjoyed and understood by new readers. Rosow’s simple but effective black-and-white line drawings depict pivotal scenes, like Opie’s tussle with the coyote.
A relatable and heartfelt avian adventure with an appealing cast.Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-66550-832-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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