An enduring friendship wins the day in this chapter-book adventure.
At every turn of events, the title characters’ personalities seem to shift and reverse.
Sydney and Taylor live in a burrow under Miss Nancy’s potting shed. Sydney is a skunk who loves to sit quietly and listen to the sounds of the world above. Taylor is a hedgehog who longs to travel and explore the world beyond the burrow. Sydney cares about his friend and wants him to be happy, so he agrees to an expedition. Almost immediately, however, Taylor becomes nervous and worries that his fear of new things and strangers will overcome him; Sydney staunchly reassures him. Although they have never even met Miss Nancy and know nothing of what waits beyond her fence, they set off feeling “wild and fearless and free.” At first Taylor is the brave one, mapping the route and leading the way. But with every new encounter Taylor’s fright takes over, and it is Sydney who provides leadership and solutions. To their great relief—and with a little help from Miss Nancy—the intrepid adventurers arrive home safely. Davies describes the action with verve, humor, and compassion, employing vivid, expressive syntax as she focuses on the characters’ nonfussy, genuine friendship and the shifts in their dynamic. Hocking’s very carefully rendered, brightly colored illustrations closely follow the events, capturing the friends’ personalities and their every emotion; their burrow, seen in an early cross-section, is a delight unto itself.
An enduring friendship wins the day in this chapter-book adventure. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-10631-9
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Amusing but a little off tempo.
It’s important to hit all the right notes.
A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64567-631-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Silly reads for new readers to dig into.
A turnip-loving duck and its friends defend their garden.
Alas, the duck, sheep, dog, and donkey immediately discover the eponymous pest in the garden when it (a groundhog?) eats a row of beans. The duck is frantic that turnips are next, but instead the pest eats the sheep’s favorite crop: corn. Peas occupy the next row, and the pest gobbles them up, too. Instead of despairing, however, the donkey cries, “Yippee! He ate ALL THE PEAS!” and catching the others’ puzzled looks, continues, “I don’t like peas.” After this humorous twist, the only uneaten row is sown with turnips, and the duck leaps to devour them before the pest can do so. In a satisfying, funny conclusion, the duck beams when the dog, sheep, and donkey resolve to plant a new garden and protect it with a fence, only to find out that it will exclude not just the groundhog, but the duck, too. A companion release, What Is Chasing Duck?, has the same brand of humor and boldly outlined figures rendered in a bright palette, but its storyline doesn’t come together as well since it’s unclear why the duck is scared and why the squirrel that was chasing it doesn’t recognize the others when they turn and chase him at book’s end.
Silly reads for new readers to dig into. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-94165-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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