Glorious images, a low-risk adventure, and a passion for nature should inspire readers to visit their local wildlife...
A lovable canine gets lost in the woods in this sequel from the team of Dworkin and Chelich (The Dog and the Jet Ski, 2016, etc.).
An Irish setter named Red is off on a hike with two friends, Colin and Kenny (one boy is white; the other is black). When Red chases a chipmunk off the trail, he gets separated from the boys. Luckily, an oriole offers to show him around the woods. Discovering that Red is hungry, the bird introduces him to a fox, who guides the dog through the wetlands, where they see more wildlife. Red takes directions through the prairie (meeting more creatures) back to the woods, where he begs for a sandwich from two young hikers. Kenny and Colin haven’t abandoned Red; they’re just collecting their canoe to get a better view of the landscape. Finally, the dog and the boys are reunited. Red’s dialogue with the animals dilutes the realism here. But the gorgeous photorealistic paintings, suitable for a naturalist’s guidebook, keep the story grounded. Some challenging vocabulary, including creature names and terms such as “quench” and “obedient,” makes this well-suited to independent readers in first through third grades. And the detailed pictures and measured pace will likely keep lap readers interested in Red’s escapades.
Glorious images, a low-risk adventure, and a passion for nature should inspire readers to visit their local wildlife preserves.Pub Date: May 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-07943-0
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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