A visually engaging, if unevenly executed, children’s book.
Four pairs of waterproof rubber boots discover a secret world in Dreeling’s illustrated tale for kids.
Bertie, Lexie, Miley, and Teddy are footwear known as “wellies” who’ve never ventured past their home’s garden gate. A brave umbrella encourages the boots to “leap into the great unknown once you’re all old enough.” They take her words to heart and plan an expedition to Galoshes Mountain to find the wellie elders and ask their advice. They sneak out through a dog-door, hop a fence, and head into the forest. Soon, the “YELLOW WELLY GANG,” as they call themselves, realize that River, their young human owner, has followed them; she’s amazed that the boots can talk. The footwear discuss leading River home, but she promises to keep the outing a secret if they all travel to the mountain together. (She also removes her slippers and chooses a pair of boots to wear.) At the mountain, they discover a festival of wellies enjoying music and food. The group partakes in the fun and continues to a cave to meet the elders; River, however, must wait outside. The boots ask the older footwear—Wilhelmina, Nelly, and Stella—how to overcome their fears and flourish in the wider world. The elders advise them to stick together and lean on one another. The boots also ask how to take care of River and are told that their sturdiness will support her. Before the wellies depart, Wilhelmina gives them some “magic mud dust” to sprinkle over River so she’ll have “added protection” and forget the night ever happened.
The book’s design and layout are its selling points: Jovanovic’s full-color cartoon illustrations are modern, colorful, and crisp, and pages alternate between text and illustrations, with words overlaid on patterned backgrounds. Each pair of boots has a distinctive look, although their personalities feel interchangeable. The narrative is lighthearted and sometimes funny, as when Stella proclaims, “PLEASE do not fear, as in a world full of flimsy footwear, we’re the one shoe that’ll never fall apart!” Dreeling provides just enough sensory details to paint a clear picture, as when she describes the “moonlight trek through the woods—squelching through muddy swamps and splish splashing through streams.” She also uses lively language to describe action, as when the wellies must return home: “Knowing sunrise is just around the corner, the little yellow brigade humbly bow before the elders and make a run for it.” However, although the narrative is creative, it has a few issues that are difficult to ignore. For example, readers don’t meet River until 13 pages in, and she receives scant character development; it’s unclear why she has such a close relationship with her boots, or why she owns four pairs. A few scenes featuring the girl and the boots before their journey might have provided much-needed context. Also, although the elders are adamant that they “mustn’t be found out,” it’s unclear what’s at stake if they were discovered. The excessive use of all-caps in parts of the book also detracts from an otherwise effortless reading experience. A visually engaging, if unevenly executed, children’s book.Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2022
ISBN: 9798985310528
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Rising River Press LLC
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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