This tale soars.
A child’s visit to their grandmother creates lasting stories.
At Lao Lao’s coastal home, flamingo motifs are everywhere. The child asks Lao Lao about a feather in a flamingo-shaped cup, and as the scene shifts, we see a girl walking along a beach and discovering an egg, out of which a flamingo chick eventually hatches. In between kite flying, bao steaming, and their own coastal walk, Lao Lao shares her story with her grandchild. Friendship between the flamingo and the girl grows, but the time comes for goodbyes. The flamingo flies away, and the girl hopes for the bird’s return. Just as Lao Lao’s story concludes, a flock of flamingos serendipitously fills the sky. Grandmother and grandchild must part, too. Back at home, feather in hand, the child begins to write their own story, and their imagination takes flight. Guojing’s tender tale uses the migration of birds to explore how family bonds endure despite separation and the passage of time. The spare text in this mostly wordless tale is well placed. Rendered in Photoshop, watercolor, and colored pencil, the illustrations depict expressive faces and dynamic perspectives, beautifully capturing the joy of a hug, the wonder of visiting new places, the sadness of saying goodbye, and the hope of reuniting. The use of color is inspired; muted illustrations with pops of reddish pink depict the present, while both Lao Lao’s and the child’s stories are portrayed in vibrant hues. Use of the term Lao Lao cues the characters as Chinese, though locations aren’t specified.
This tale soars. (Graphic fiction. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-12731-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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