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EVEN AN OSTRICH NEEDS A NEST

Name: EVEN AN OSTRICH NEEDS A NEST
Author: Irene Kelly
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2102-2

WHERE BIRDS BEGIN

by Irene Kelly and illustrated by Irene Kelly ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2009

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From the North American bald eagle to the Australian brush-turkey, the nesting habits of 40 different birds are briefly explored. Kelly’s conversational style conveys the breadth of these often-unusual habitats, noting the nests’ various materials and the methods used to support baby birds. Engaging facts support the broad subject matter: The sociable weaver, for instance, may live with more than 200 others in a nest that can last as long as 100 years. The industrious layout of this eclectic collection encourages browsing. A wavy typeface (endearingly called “Lizard”) and solid lines integrated within these busy double-page spreads serve to organize the layout. Mixed-media illustrations convey the diversity among these feathered flocks; watercolors, gouache, acrylics and pen-and-ink utilize texture and soft colors to capture their subjects. A map highlights each bird’s locale, and a concluding activity encourages young scientists to observe and assist birds in their natural environments. Though the addition of source notes and an index would aid the budding researcher, this offering will intrigue many young ornithologists. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: March 15, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-8234-2102-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
A FROG'S LIFE
by Irene Kelly ; illustrated by Margherita Borin

- BOOK REVIEW
EVEN AN OCTOPUS NEEDS A HOME
by Irene Kelly ; illustrated by Irene Kelly

- BOOK REVIEW
IT’S A BUTTERFLY’S LIFE
by Irene Kelly & illustrated by Irene Kelly

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BIG FOOT AND LITTLE FOOT

From the Big Foot & Little Foot series , Vol. 1

by Ellen Potter ; illustrated by Felicita Sala ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.

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Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.

Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.

A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
CENTRAL PARK GHOST
by Ellen Potter ; illustrated by Sara Cristofori

- BOOK REVIEW
SHARK IN THE PARK
by Ellen Potter ; illustrated by Sara Cristofori

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GOLDEN IMAGINARIUM
by Ellen Potter

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HENRY AND MUDGE AND THE STARRY NIGHT

From the Henry and Mudge series

by Cynthia Rylant & illustrated by Sucie Stevenson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998

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Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)