A charming, interactive tale that can help young readers engage with reading—probably one that will earn that simple...
Florence the firefly is lost. Can “you” help her find her way home?
Young readers help guide Florence across the water and into the city, hopping from light source to light source. The text and the art work together to give clues as to what creates each one. Readers can guess along with Florence, then turn the page to find the answer in the sweeping full-page spreads. Is that distant flashing light the other fireflies? No, it’s a lighthouse. What about that line of lights that seems to be moving? No, it’s a train. The interactive components beg to be read aloud—“Say ‘Fly faster, Florence!’ and flap your hands to show her how to fly really fast”—making it a good choice for group storytimes. Clarke identifies “home” as a “special place,” recognizable in Teckentrup’s digital illustrations by way of the unique, geometric plant life they flit among. Some resemble grass, some ferns, and others wildflowers that double as little bursts of pale light. The artist’s style is collagelike, with textures à la Eric Carle and spots of gradient lights. The solid yellow lights pop dramatically against the predominantly dark blue backgrounds. Earth tones and bright shades for the city round out the color scheme, which, along with the ever present star-speckled sky, makes this story equally apt for bedtime reading.
A charming, interactive tale that can help young readers engage with reading—probably one that will earn that simple command, “Again!” (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0587-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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