A happy, lively story that celebrates the idea of family diversity even as it introduces readers to some of Australia’s...
A family composed of animals indigenous to Australia spends the day together.
This lighthearted romp of a book begins at daybreak. “Wakey wakey / Hungry” reads the text as the unruly quoll, wallaby, echidna, possum, antechinus, wombat, bilby, quokka, and numbat urge their parents—a koala and a kangaroo—to get out of bed and feed them. Honey’s loose, confidently rendered watercolors in harmonious muted tones bring the liveliness and mayhem of this large diverse family to life, while her spare, often onomatopoeic text gives it added sparkle. In fact, the pairing of words and images is so effective that readers (in particular, those reading aloud) may give a sigh of relief as the koala and kangaroo finally put their little ones to bed and quiet reigns. Many of the animals depicted may be unfamiliar to North American readers, and Honey includes, at the story’s end, an identification and pronunciation guide—which may also serve to stimulate readers’ curiosity about these unusual animals. Using anthropomorphized, diverse animals to create a story about a playful, happy family underscores to readers the idea that family members needn’t look alike, and, in fact, diversity can be a lot of fun.
A happy, lively story that celebrates the idea of family diversity even as it introduces readers to some of Australia’s fauna. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-79084-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
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
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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