Certainly not evocative of a real firefighter’s job, but absurd situations will elicit storytime giggles.
Three little ducks have a very dangerous—and silly—job to do.
Firefighter duckies must be brave and strong. With sirens blaring, they race toward peril, never knowing who might need saving. Sometimes it is a gorilla, with a chef hat on fire (watch out for those pesky cupcake candles). Or perhaps it is two lemurs tangled in a tree. But whatever the case, they are ready. Because, as the repeating refrain reminds readers, they are brave and strong. To be shouted boldly: “They are the FIREFIGHTER DUCKIES!” But sometimes all of these situations can just be too much. How are they supposed to rescue dinosaurs on bicycles (their arms just can’t reach the handlebars) or rampaging centipedes (they crawl around yelling, “Rampage!”)? Instead of being brave and strong, they just might need to be helpful and kind. They offer solutions to the despairing creatures—the dinosaurs should roller skate instead; the centipedes should munch on some delicious leaves. Dormer’s three fowl friends have comically large beaks and tiny spindly legs. Their expressive faces (which take up most of their bodies) run the gamut from proud through shocked and exasperated to sleepy. Even their firetruck is brimming with personality.
Certainly not evocative of a real firefighter’s job, but absurd situations will elicit storytime giggles. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6090-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.
What can you do when things go wrong?
Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Like its subject: full of bustling life yet peaceful.
Life buzzes in a community garden.
Surrounded by apartment buildings, this city garden gets plenty of human attention, but the book’s stars are the plants and insects. The opening spread shows a black child in a striped shirt sitting in a top-story window; the nearby trees and garden below reveal the beginnings of greenery that signal springtime. From that high-up view, the garden looks quiet—but it’s not. “Sleepy slugs / and garden snails / leave behind their silver trails. / Frantic teams of busy ants / scramble up the stems of plants”; and “In the earth / a single seed / sits beside a millipede. / Worms and termites / dig and toil / moving through the garden soil.” Sicuro zooms in too, showing a robin taller than a half-page; later, close-ups foreground flowers, leaves, and bugs while people (children and adults, a multiracial group) are crucial but secondary, sometimes visible only as feet. Watercolor illustrations with ink and charcoal highlights create a soft, warm, horticulturally damp environment. Scale and perspective are more stylized than literal. McCanna’s superb scansion never misses, incorporating lists of insects and plants (“Lacewings, gnats, / mosquitos, spiders, / dragonflies, and water striders / live among the cattail reeds, / lily pads, and waterweeds”) with description (“Sunlight warms the morning air. / Dewdrops shimmer / here and there”). Readers see more than gardeners do, such as rabbits stealing carrots and lettuce from garden boxes.
Like its subject: full of bustling life yet peaceful. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1797-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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