A delightful children’s tale about a dog adapting to change.
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
As brilliant as can be.
A sun, a flower, and a lion. They look similar, no?
Introduced in a wordless panel before the title page, the three figures bear at least two shapes in common. They’re also the same combination of warm yellow and (somehow just as warm) white, outlined in thick black line that pops against the muted yellow background. The text, divided into six short chapters, goes on to introduce the figures in isolation: “This is the sun. / Can you see it?” the narrator asks before going on to proclaim that the sun “is as bright as a flower.” When the flower is introduced, it’s compared to a lion. The lion? He isn’t compared to anything but instead smells the flower and warms himself in the sun. In the next chapter, the lion dreams that the flowers are sun-sized cookies. He wakes up hungry and runs home as fast as he can. Can readers spot him on the page? Using a vocabulary of fewer than 60 words and their variants—and a visual vocabulary of even fewer shapes and colors—Henkes creates an impeccably designed story that’s rewarding for toddlers and early readers alike. The repetitive structure and tone call to mind the playful simplicity of Mem Fox and Judy Horacek’s Where Is the Green Sheep? (2004). With imagination at its center, this participatory read-aloud also cleverly introduces the concept of simile (“It looks like a lion”) and metaphor (“The flowers are cookies”).
As brilliant as can be. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-286610-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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