Young author Harris has truly created a delight.
A scarecrow is set up in a field, and the animals out in the day see it very differently from the animals out at night.
The daytime animals—a cat, a rabbit, and a squirrel—know about scarecrows, so they go over and give the “crow scarer” a sniff, then go about their day, playing together until it’s time for them to go to sleep. After dark, the nighttime animals—an owl, a fox, and a hedgehog—see the scarecrow but decide that he’s actually a man from the moon and that he must be hungry, having traveled all that way. They spend most of the night gathering food, leaving it at his feet and going off to bed. When the daytime animals come back, they think the “crow scarer” has left food for them, and so they decide to give him a thank-you gift in return. The story goes back and forth, each cycle producing surprises for all the animals—and the baffled farmer. This story has the perfect level of whimsy and outrageousness to appeal to a broad range of kids, and the illustrations are delightful: bright and colorful, with a nice level of cartoonishness that’s nevertheless easy to interpret for children who know their animals. There is no moral or lesson here: just a lovely, silly story poised to become a bedtime favorite, penned by a 9-year-old whose vision is at once perfectly childlike and surprisingly sophisticated.
Young author Harris has truly created a delight. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68010-078-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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