Earnest, but unoriginal and lackluster.
A little mouse alone at sea endures a storm.
Little Mouse is sailing in a tiny boat on the sea. Inexplicably, he also carries a green houseplant with him, prominently illustrated but not mentioned in the text. The sea is rough and churns “vast, / and angry.” Little Mouse tries to put up his sail, but the wind is too strong; tries to drop his anchor, but the ocean is too deep. At this point, readers may wonder how the tiny mouse got out to the deep, vast sea with no sail up and why he brought the plant. Yes, this story is a metaphor (piled on quite thick), but some accurate sailing details and believable backstory would not have injured its delivery. Little Mouse is frightened, and to the single star in the sky, he says, “Please.” Sure enough, the next day, Mouse spies another little boat, then other boats. Night falls, then day breaks again. The boats are not “together but they weren’t alone”—rather like a Zoom meeting. Then the storm is over, everyone goes to land (Little Mouse leaves his houseplant on the boat), and it’s “time to be together.” The story’s earnest narrative unfortunately lacks nuance and originality and takes too many liberties with its sailing theme. The illustrations, all double-page spreads, show, for the most part, a straight-on perspective that, with the matte quality of the medium, manages to feel chalky and also rather flat. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Earnest, but unoriginal and lackluster. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62371-909-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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