Budding engineers of any species will agree that Oona has well earned the right to feel “just as big as a duck should feel.”...
A farmyard duck who’s not built for speed finds a way to win the morning race down to the pond.
Being big of chest and stubby of leg, Oona stands no chance against her three slimmer, longer-limbed fellow ducks in the morning rush. “Last is a blot on my life,” she kvetches to her friend Roy the frog. “I don’t feel as big as a duck should feel.” But, as Roy reminds her, she is “good with gizmos,” and maybe, just maybe she could concoct something to give her that needed boost? Good with gizmos she proves to be, and though the wobbly cart and the workout machine she cobbles together from unlikely assortments of junk stored in the shed fail to fill the bill, a climactic inspiration involving laundry, a basket, and a launch from the barn’s roof really puts the wind beneath her wings (so to speak). Soon Bim, Bam, Bop, and even Roy are asking for rides. Martin tells the tale in rollicking cadences just right for reading aloud—”A gust of wind grabbed the sails and up she went. OOO-hoolie-hoo!”—and with fine comic flair Day sets the (more or less) naturalistically depicted tinkerer, every feather bristling with concentration, amid enticing jumbles of pulleys, ropes, and buckets of detritus.
Budding engineers of any species will agree that Oona has well earned the right to feel “just as big as a duck should feel.” (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-15179-0395-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Univ. of Minnesota
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though directed at sons, the guidance presented is sensible for kids of all genders navigating life.
A companion offering to actor Duff’s My Little Brave Girl (2021) with sound, sensitive advice from parents to children on their journey through childhood.
A gracefully drawn watercolor palette limns a diverse group of boys portrayed not just as brave and strong, but as kind, caring, and observant. They can climb trees and be physically active while also being encouraged to “honor the power of all [their] emotions.” A boy is sitting unhappily with his dad on their front stoop waving goodbye to his mom, who’s leaving for a trip; when you’re sad, it’s certainly OK to cry. Understanding right from wrong is important, demonstrated by two boys shown intervening when a third is being nasty to a fourth younger child. Picking apples and planting and harvesting a vegetable garden illustrate ways to take care of their bodies. A boy making signs for his class president candidacy depicts confidence and the ability to use his voice. A final scene stresses the importance of listening, questioning, and being willing to learn, whether by choosing books to read, walking to school with other children, or conversing with a grandparent. The visual examples given to enhance each portion of the narrative should elicit discussion through the inferences implied.
Though directed at sons, the guidance presented is sensible for kids of all genders navigating life. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780593300756
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
The boy-and-beetle friendship first introduced in Broach’s charming novel Masterpiece (2010) is now the cornerstone of an illustrated chapter-book series.
James is a boy, and Marvin is a beetle, but with the help of Marvin’s drawing skills, they find a way to communicate. James’ mom worries that her son’s best friend is an insect, but tiny Marvin has the opposite worry—that James will find human friends who supplant him. When James takes off on a beach vacation, Marvin frets even more, but he manages to have a few adventures of his own, like getting trapped inside Mr. Pompaday’s electric pencil sharpener with his beetle cousin Elaine. At first it’s entertaining to frolic among the shavings, but when an unanticipated pencil clogs the exit hole, there’s big trouble. Murphy clearly revels in the Borrowers-style perspective of the beetles’ miniature world: In their under-sink home, Marvin’s drawing table is a die, and a propped-up birthday-cake candle dwarfs the family. The dramatic, blow-by-blow pencil-sharpener incident dominates the story, but it circles back to friendship. James really did miss Marvin after all, and a souvenir seashell (the perfect beetle hideout!) seals the deal. This winsome series debut is both a sweet story of cross-species friendship and a sobering new way to look at pencil sharpeners. (Fantasy. 6-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9190-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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