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Cocoa Bear & Bennie Boy

Name: Cocoa Bear & Bennie Boy
Author: Ellie Meglio
ISBN: 978-1478172604

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WOOFS

by Ellie Meglio ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2012

A delightful children’s tale about a dog adapting to change.

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In Meglio’s debut children’s picture book, a 6-year-old dog moves to a new home and becomes a big sister to a new puppy.

Change can pose a great hurdle for children. Meglio’s story presents a positive view of life transitions that adults may use as a springboard for conversations with kids. Cocoa Bear, a fluffy Bernese Mountain dog, contentedly lives with her owner, “Mom,” in New York City—happily lapping up attention from passersby; going on walks with her “boyfriend” Tiberius, a golden retriever; and having rollicking good times with other dogs in Central Park. But one day, Mom moves the family to a new home in rural Connecticut. Initially, Cocoa Bear is sad and scared, fretting over how she’ll get along without her friends and anxious about challenges she’ll face in the new setting. But she soon discovers the upsides of country living: “I didn’t need a leash. I could bury bones all over the place....I didn’t have to ride in a crowded elevator.” Then, just as she’s settled in at last, Mom adds a new Bernese puppy, Bennie, to the household. Children will likely relate to Cocoa Bear’s conflicted feelings; she’s jealous that the spotlight is no longer on her and upset that her territory has been invaded (“He took over my favorite chair and my special blanket”). After a major snowstorm hits, Cocoa Bear grumbles about having to dig Bennie out of a snowdrift and, later, rescue him from atop a picnic table. But young readers will sense that Cocoa Bear has actually taken to Bennie and is quickly growing into her new role as older sibling. When springtime comes, she teaches the young pup lots of things: “How to scare the delivery men; how to dig a hole big enough to crawl into; and how to sneak up on ducks and drink the pond water.” Cocoa Bear is depicted as an expressive, sympathetic character, and her humorous observations and remarks will likely have children laughing. Accompanying photographs illustrate the two dogs’ irresistible antics, although some are a tad blurry; well-chosen clip art adds a fun dash to the visuals.

A delightful children’s tale about a dog adapting to change.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-1478172604

Page Count: 48

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: March 30, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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I LOVE YOU LIKE NO OTTER

by Rose Rossner ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2020

The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers.

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Animal parents declare their love for their offspring through rhymed puns and sentimental art.

The title sets the scene for what’s to come: The owl asks the owlet as they fly together, “WHOO loves you?”; the kangaroo and joey make each other “very HOPPY”; and the lioness and cub are a “PURRRFECT pair.” Most of the puns are both unimaginative and groanworthy, and they are likely to go over the heads of toddlers, who are not know for their wordplay abilities. The text is set in abcb quatrains split over two double-page spreads. On each spread, one couplet appears on the verso within a lightly decorated border on pastel pages. On the recto, a full-bleed portrait of the animal and baby appears in softly colored and cozy images. Hearts are prominent on every page, floating between the parent and baby as if it is necessary to show the love between each pair. Although these critters are depicted in mistily conceived natural habitats and are unclothed, they are human stand-ins through and through.

The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers. (Board book. 6 mos-2)