Neighborhoods can accommodate all manner of folk, from neat to not.
The old adage about one man’s junk being another man’s treasure proves true in this British import.
Mr McDuff is a bona fide collector of things, which makes him very happy and makes his neighbors equally unhappy. He spends his days carting home all manner of objects, including “socks with holes and bits of wire,” until his home is crammed full, just the opposite of those of all the neatniks on his street. “One boy called Mo” is different, though. He is curious and a bit more friendly. And to his great joy, Mr McDuff is the one who can fix his badly broken bike. Mo becomes an accomplice, bringing things from home that need mending. Soon Mo’s family and friends become converts to the concept that discards can be recycled, and in the process, they all become a lot less neat and a lot more community-minded. The message is strong but gently imparted. The delicate pen-and-ink–style drawings against a white background help to convey the scenarios without overwhelming the page. Splashes of blue and brown add interest to the overall design. All the characters are (paper) white; in one double-page spread one woman wears a chador and another uses a wheelchair.
Neighborhoods can accommodate all manner of folk, from neat to not. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-84976-662-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A nice cap to a solid series: year-round fun.
Rotner completes her quartet of peeks at the four seasons with this last entry looking at the pleasures of summer.
As with the others, the book starts off with the changes that signal summer’s arrival: bigger, greener leaves; longer, warmer days; fluffy clouds amid blue skies. People dress for the warmer weather and wear protection from the sun: sunglasses, hats, and sunblock. Lemonade, water, Popsicles, and watermelon help quench thirst. The occasional rain cools things off and helps gardens flourish and berries ripen. Insects abound (no mention of mosquitoes, gnats or black flies, though), and “we celebrate summer with fireworks, picnics, and barbecues.” Playing outside, visiting fairs, going to the beach, cooling off with water in all sorts of ways, biking, fishing, camping, and enjoying nature are just some of the activities that fill summer days, and animals are just as busy. The text ends, as they all do, with a look forward to the next season. Rotner’s photos highlight diverse children enjoying the summer weather and treats, though many of the kids look overly posed. Still, readers would be hard-pressed not to identify with at least a few of the many activities highlighted here.
A nice cap to a solid series: year-round fun. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3977-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Readers will agree: All differences should be hugged, er, embraced.
Watch out, Hug Machine (Scott Campbell, 2014), there’s another long-limbed lover of squeezes in the mix.
Bernard, a tiny, lavender bird, dejectedly sits atop a high branch. His wings droop all the way to the ground. Heaving a sigh, his disappointment is palpable. With insufferably long wings, he has never been able to fly. All of his friends easily took to the skies, leaving him behind. There is nothing left to do but sit in his tree and feel sorry for himself. Adamson amusingly shows readers the passage of time with a sequence of vignettes of Bernard sitting in the rain, the dark, and amid a cloud of paper wasps—never moving from his branch. Then one day he hears a sob and finds a tearful orangutan. Without even thinking, Bernard wraps his long wings around the great ape. The orangutan is comforted! Bernard has finally found the best use of his wings. In gentle watercolor and pencil sketches, Adamson slips in many moments of humor. Animals come from all over to tell Bernard their troubles (a lion muses that it is “lonely at the top of the food chain” while a bat worries about missing out on fun during the day). Three vertical spreads that necessitate a 90-degree rotation add to the fun.
Readers will agree: All differences should be hugged, er, embraced. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9271-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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