Young green thumbs will enjoy this engaging intro to winter fruits and vegetables.
Accompanied by his pet chameleon, a boy searches for a carrot in preparation for a pet play date.
Logan, a pale-skinned, red-haired boy who uses a manual wheelchair, surveys fruits and veggies in his greenhouse with the aid of a reacher. Which one is the carrot? In straightforward text, Brown-Wood provides descriptive clues and invites readers to compare and contrast possibilities to find the answer. For instance, a carrot has a few light and dark rings inside it; that purple root has rings, too. Is it a carrot? No, the author explains, that’s a beet; beets have many more rings than carrots do. Carrots are bright orange with ribbed skin—what about that bright-orange, textured plant? But no—that’s an orange, which has dimpled skin. Where could the carrot be? Fortunately, Logan’s chameleon has a keen eye. The elusive carrot finally spotted, Logan and his reptilian pal join “some hungry pets and some hungry friends” for a delicious meal. In addition to learning about leeks, Brussels sprouts, and more, readers will develop their reasoning skills as they apply the author’s clues. With bright hues, clear shapes, and friendly faces, Hardy’s cozy cartoon illustrations add warmth to the snow-dusted setting, and a recipe for winter carrot soup will entice kids to eat their veggies. Background characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Young green thumbs will enjoy this engaging intro to winter fruits and vegetables. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68263-167-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson.
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home.
This gently told story uses Max’s fascination with the moon’s ability to “tag along” where his family’s car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather’s constant love. Separating the two relatives is “a swervy-curvy road” that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, “past a field of sleeping cows,” around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then “[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky.” No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: “Granpa said it would always shine for me.” Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max’s excitement as “[s]lowly, very slowly, Max’s bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow.” Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape—sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle’s mirror—and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story’s lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece.
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-23342-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
A young naturalist’s delight.
A child longs to be a tree.
Eve, a young Black girl, lives on the edge of a forest in an unnamed African country where she can see baobab trees in the distance. She tells her parents she’d like to be a baobab tree, and when they reply that being a tree means being patient and taking care of animals and people, she insists that she’s up for the job—indeed she dubs herself Eco Girl as she sets out seed for the birds, looking after them the way the baobab does. To celebrate Eve’s birthday the next day, the family leaves to visit Grandma, who lives in the forest. On the big day, Eve welcomes a rainstorm, arms outstretched like a tree. When the rain stops, she and her family walk further into the forest while her Grandma leads, carrying a wrapped baobab seedling for Eve to plant in a very special place. This is a charming story that captures children’s curiosity about the natural world and their eagerness to be old enough to do the things they want to do. Illustrations drawn in thick black lines with beautiful washes of greens and punches of yellow, blue, and brown make for a warm and affectionate depiction of nature; readers will close this book eager to follow Eve’s worthy example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A young naturalist’s delight. (information on baobab and other trees) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2809-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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