by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan ; illustrated by Catherine Lazar Odell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 25, 2018
A bit of natural science combines with a sweet tale of perseverance and camaraderie.
Again and again, Little Beaver, eager to play with his friends, claims his dam is finished—but is it?
Art and text combine to provide a plot familiar to a great many children. Each time Little Beaver adds a twig or two to the dam he is supposed to be building, a different friend comes along to lure him away: first Fish (a trout), then Bird (a great blue heron), then Otter. Each time, one of Little Beaver’s parents slaps a tail to call back the errant kit, then reminds him that he needs to do some more work before he may play. There is a good deal of onomatopoeia and gentle rhyming to provide enjoyment to both a read-aloud audience and beginning readers; these sounds are set apart in a larger display type. Examples: “Nibble Nibble Snap” and “Scoop Scoop Pat” as Little Beaver works on the dam; Fish’s “Flish Flish Swish”; and, of course, the “Slap Slap Slap” of Papa’s and Mama’s tails. Children will also learn the rudiments of dam-building as they empathize with Little Beaver’s impatience. The mixed-media art combines a northern woodlands palette of blue and green watercolors for backgrounds; in the foreground are animals that are a pleasant combination of anthropomorphic facial expressions and elegantly rendered, realistic bodies. There is gentle humor throughout.
A bit of natural science combines with a sweet tale of perseverance and camaraderie. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3705-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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by Adam Rex ; illustrated by Claire Keane ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019
A funny David-versus-Goliath story with a one-word question serving as the slingshot. (Picture book. 3-5)
Doctor X-Ray, a megalomaniac with an X-ray blaster and an indestructible battle suit, crashes through the ceiling of the local mall.
Innocent patrons scatter to safety. But one curious child gazes directly at the bully and asks: “Why?” At first, Doctor X-Ray answers with all the menace and swagger of a supervillain. The curious child, armed with only a stuffed bear and clad in a bright red dress, is not satisfied with the answers and continues asking: “Why?” As his pale cheeks flush with emotion, Doctor X-Ray peels back the onion of his interior life, unearthing powerful reasons behind his pursuit of tyranny. This all sounds heavy, but the humorously monotonous questions coupled with free-wheeling illustrations by Keane set a quick pace with comical results. At 60 pages, the book has room to follow this thread back to the diabolical bully’s childhood. Most of the answers go beyond a child’s understanding—parental entertainment between the howl of the monosyllabic chorus. It is the digital artwork, which is reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s, that creates a joyful undercurrent of rebellion with bold and loose brush strokes, patches of color, and expressive faces. The illustrations harken to a previous era save for the thoroughly liberated Asian child speaking truth to power.
A funny David-versus-Goliath story with a one-word question serving as the slingshot. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-6863-0
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Stephanie Stansbie ; illustrated by Richard Smythe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 3, 2019
Sweet.
A caregiving bear shares with its cub how love has defined their relationship from the first moment and through the years as the cub has grown.
With rhymes and a steady rhythm that are less singsong-y than similar books, Stansbie seems to have hit a sweet spot for this offering on the I-love-you-always shelf. Readers follow the adult and child as they share special moments together—a sunset, a splash in a pond, climbing a tree, a snuggle—and the adult tells the child that the love it feels has only grown. Stansbie also takes care not to put promises in the adult bear’s mouth that can’t be delivered, acknowledging that physical proximity is not always possible: “Wherever you are, / even when we’re apart… // I’ll love you forever / with all of my heart.” The large trim size helps the sweet illustrations shine; their emphasis is on the close relationship between parent and child. Shaped peekaboo windows offer glimpses of preceding and succeeding pages, images and text carefully placed to work whatever the context. While the die cuts on the interior pages will not hold up to rough handling, they do add whimsy and delight to the book as a whole: “And now that you’re bigger, / you make my heart sing. / My / beautiful / wonderful / magical / thing.” Those last three adjectives are positioned in leaf-shaped cutouts, the turn of the page revealing the roly-poly cub in a pile of leaves, three formed by the die-cuts. Opposite, three vignettes show the cub appreciating the “beautiful,” the “wonderful,” and the “magical.”
Sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68412-910-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Dolphin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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