A cozy tale of friendship and compromise between two very different creatures.
A persnickety, stay-at-home bear is pushed beyond his comfort level by a bold and creative arachnid.
Spider has made a new kite, and he begs his friend Bear to come outside and play. Bear has other plans, namely “a tidy day at the house, followed by a nice cup of tea in his cozy chair.” But the wind snatches the kite away from Spider, so Bear grudgingly agrees to help Spider find it. Everything in the forest that delights Spider is anathema to Bear. He does not like the “filthy ground,” the “itchy plants,” and the “pesky bugs all around” (Spider especially likes them). While Bear grumbles, Spider enjoys all the new sights and sounds of the forest. Eventually both friends are exhausted and deterred by the weather, which has turned nasty. They still haven’t found the kite. Just as they are about to give up, they spy the kite high up in a tree. Finally Bear gets his cup of tea, and the friends compromise by flying two kites comfortably from chairs in the garden. Grant’s soft, muted crayon-and-ink illustrations, full of rounded shapes, complement the warm comforting tone of the story, and the text is clearly laid out and should be easily read by beginning readers as well as grown-ups. Spider is adorable, composed of two ocher globes with stubby, unthreatening legs, wide eyes, and a button hat.
A cozy tale of friendship and compromise between two very different creatures. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68119-745-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for...
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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