Sweet—almost too sweet.
Two sisters wish on a dandelion seed for “the best summer ever” and suddenly see a plant-bedecked lion, whom they name Dandylion.
The story is told by the younger sister, beginning with: “On the last day of school, my sister and I find a dandelion on the walk home.” The girls are portrayed simply, with light skin, large brown eyes, and single lines for eyebrows, mouths, and noses. Shades of green in Dandylion’s mane set off the many-colored flowers and leaves around his nonmenacing, round-eyed face. Both art and text are simple and gentle, portraying a summer full of lazy, play-filled days, moonlit nights, and unwavering familial affection. The layout varies from double-page spreads to single pages with more than one discrete image; a particularly sweet section shows the girls riding on Dandylion’s back, reading a book with him in a tent, and then all three lying on their backs in a meadow that is certainly tick-free. Dandylion has been introduced to a number of townsfolk, but that doesn’t keep him from fading away as summer turns toward autumn. The little sister is sad, but her big sister is confident that Dandylion and summer will both return. The final spread offers a concluding beat that relieves a text that was becoming almost unbearably sentimental. Yoko Tanaka’s Dandelion’s Dream (2020) offers a different, richer take on the dandelion-come-to-feline-life theme.
Sweet—almost too sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-13339-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world.
This reassuring picture book exemplifies how parents throughout the animal kingdom make homes for their offspring.
The narrative is written from the point of view of a parent talking to their child: “If you were a beaver, I would gnaw on trees with my teeth to build a cozy lodge for us to sleep in during the day.” Text appears in big, easy-to-read type, with the name of the creature in boldface. Additional facts about the animal appear in a smaller font, such as: “Beavers have transparent eyelids to help them see under water.” The gathering of land, air, and water animals includes a raven, a flying squirrel, and a sea lion. “Home” might be a nest, a den, or a burrow. One example, of a blue whale who has homes in the north and south (ocean is implied), will help children stretch the concept into feeling at home in the larger world. Illustrations of the habitats have an inviting luminosity. Mature and baby animals are realistically depicted, although facial features appear to have been somewhat softened, perhaps to appeal to young readers. The book ends with the comforting scene of a human parent and child silhouetted in the welcoming lights of the house they approach: “Wherever you may be, you will always have a home with me.”
Instills a sense of well-being in youngsters while encouraging them to explore the natural world. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63217-224-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy message wrapped up in a playful romp.
A romp about saying “I don’t know.”
An apartment building full of cartoonlike creatures shown interacting through their windows (a clever illustrative decision) evokes the lively life of urban living. When one neighbor asks another (via the window) to wake them up in “20 coconuts,” the neighbor agrees but then admits to himself that he doesn’t know what that means—something that bothers him because he is known for being a know-it-all; in fact, he comes from a family of know-it-alls. Ah, pressure! The know-it-all gets himself into a tizzy, cleans his ears and finds a sock and a chicken, consults “Phoney” (his cellphone), and even gets his brain washed by Wally’s Wash Works. If this all sounds extremely silly and somewhat chaotic, it is—which means kids will probably love it. Eventually, he wakes up his neighbor with his yelling (right on time, apparently) but admits to her he doesn’t know what 20 coconuts means. She offers to explain, but then he says he has to be somewhere in “11 bananas,” throwing her into confusion. The energetic (some may say frenzied) tone is amplified by illustrations that have lots going on, with various characters talking in dialogue bubbles to each other, but the message itself comes across as a little light until an explanatory note from the “brains” spells it out—it’s OK to say you don’t know. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A worthy message wrapped up in a playful romp. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31196-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
