It takes a lot of planning to put together the perfect penguin party. And even then...
The Nice Icy Land is “crackling with busy-ness.” Everyone is deep into preparations for Tacky’s Birdday Party. This includes baking, practicing the special song and making a whole slew of cards for their decidedly odd friend. Tacky wakes up the next morning and, in a purple scarf and shirt decorated with yellow flowers, immediately starts doing the Flapwaddle Dance, which he has just invented. A huge “Surprise!!” interrupts him. The party throwers give Tacky a beautiful dinner jacket; he asks whether he should eat it now. All his friends are dumbstruck, and Tacky’s characteristically bizarre behavior further astounds them. The cake eventually lands on Tacky’s head, where everybody eats from it like a polenta. How imperfect can a party get? Only the big finale remains: It’s Twinklewebs the Dance Queen in all her pink glory. So enthusiastic is she that she overdoes it and hurts her web feet. Tacky comes unexpectedly to the rescue, teaching her and the whole party his Flapwaddle Dance. Now that’s a great party! Lester’s celebration of differences continues to make its point. Both her text and Munsinger’s illustrations are sunny and impish.
Another enthusiastic embrace of silliness from Antarctica. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-91228-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
Categories: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life.
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An inspirational picture book offers life advice for readers who want to be themselves.
Replete with sparkling, often quirky illustrations of children living their best lives, this book is a gorgeous guidebook for those seeking encouragement while encountering life’s challenges. The children featured—a racially diverse group ranging from infants to preschoolers—cheerfully navigate the various injunctions that flow through the text: “Be curious.…Be adventurous.…Be persistent.…Be kind.” What is remarkable about the book is that even though the instructions and the brief sentences explaining them are at times vague, the illustrations expand on them in ways readers will find endearing and uplifting. Those depicting painful or challenging moments are especially effective. The “Be persistent” double-page spread shows a child in a boat on stormy seas; it’s rich with deep blues as it emphasizes the energy of wind and rain and struggle in the face of challenge. Together with the accompanying repeated phrase “Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop,” this spread arrests readers. By contrast, the “Be kind. Be understanding” spread simply presents two children’s faces, one cast in blue and the other in gold, but the empathy that Reynolds conveys is similarly captivating. While there is no plot to pull readers through the pages, the book provides rich fodder for caregivers to use as teachable moments, both informally and in classroom settings.
Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-57231-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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