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THE SCOUT IS OUT

Name: THE SCOUT IS OUT
Author: Grayce Presnar
ISBN: 978-1503534186

by Grayce Presnar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 15, 2015

Kids will think twice before smooshing the next bug they see after reading this engaging story.

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In Presnar’s (Being Boots, 2014, etc.) children’s book, an ant encounters scary creatures while searching a house for a safe place to live.

Timmy is a new ant scout in charge of finding his colony a dry space away from the rain. He wears khaki pants sewed by his mother, a headlamp, goggles, and boots on four of his six legs (the others hold his lunch and a compass). He’s nervous about his first excursion, but the other ants goad him on. As their underground tunnel fills with water, Timmy slips, slides, and digs his way up into the grass. He reaches a house and finds a way in through a small hole in a concrete wall: “Go in! Be Brave!” says a voice inside him. Although he’s scared of the unknown, he explores every level of the house by climbing stairs, cables, and power lines. At each turn, he bumps into frightening creatures: spiders and their sticky webs, a hairy dog, a crazy cat, a dirty rat, and diving bats. He wants to save the day, but it’s clear that this house isn’t safe for his colony. Fortunately, the rain finally stops, the sun comes out, and Timmy’s friends and family consider him a hero anyway. Author and illustrator Presnar writes in an introduction that she created this story to help one of her own grandchildren face his fear of crawling insects. Her hand-drawn illustrations are colorful and cute and have plenty of homey details; for example, water pours from the house’s gutters, sweet rolls sit on the kitchen counter, and the cat lounges on a pretty, flower-patterned bedspread. She doesn’t usually draw Timmy to scale—he’s about the same size as a dustpan hanging in the basement—but this doesn’t detract from the overall story. Save for a couple of awkwardly arranged lines (such as, “he hoped the other ants were done with all the things they pleaded”), the rhymes are fun, and they’re appropriate for elementary school–age readers. Timmy’s adventure brings an important lesson for young readers to life: not only should you confront your fears, but you should also consider others’ perspectives while doing so.

Kids will think twice before smooshing the next bug they see after reading this engaging story.

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-1503534186

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Xlibris

Review Posted Online: May 26, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A DOG NAMED SAM

by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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CINDERELLA

From the Once Upon a World series

by Chloe Perkins ; illustrated by Sandra Equihua ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

A nice but not requisite purchase.

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A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.

Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.

A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)