Minimalism brilliantly brings a distant time near. (Picture book. 2-6)
Thousands of years ago, a boy chooses to use his bow for music rather than hunting, charming animals and eventually his tribe with hypnotic song.
Winter’s friendly folk-art illustrations offer an appealingly uncomplicated visual narrative, one as effortlessly expressive as the cave paintings Kali’s mother creates on their rock walls. Trees, hunters, rolling hills and woolly mammoths appear with such unaffected clarity (thanks to generous spacing between shapes, figures and text) that they seem as authentic as realistic renderings. Children gain confidence interpreting pages so assuredly illustrated, and their feeling for Kali will grow as his life comes into focus. Winter’s rudimentary acrylic, pen and ink illustrations look a little like elementary-school dioramas (evergreens perch awkwardly on hillsides, frozen figures point with stubby fingers and mouths open, miniaturized hunting scenes seem almost silly), but her pictures (atop frayed, mottled handmade papers) brilliantly evoke primitive times. Each spread’s warmth, accessibility and kindliness make visiting a far-away century immensely pleasurable. Muted blues, browns and ruddy reds soften Kali’s world of hunting, caves and manly expectations, bringing him close to children as they lean close to listen. After weeks of ditching hunting practice and instead playing his bow until stars “c[o]me close to listen,” the day of the big hunt worries Kali and his readers alike. When his music stills both mammoths and their hunters, Kali's future changes forever.
Minimalism brilliantly brings a distant time near. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: March 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-87022-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Mammoth fun for dinosaur and pet lovers alike.
Face it: when you think about dinosaurs and other animals, you think predator-prey, no?
Not necessarily, according to Yolen and Teague’s latest entry in their popular How Do Dinosaurs…? series. Clearly saurians appreciate pets as much as, er, anyone—and this endearing installment attempts to shed light on how they select them. Considering what a dino could choose—a tiger, for instance (the one on the cover and in an interior illustration looks none too thrilled)—your everyday adorable kitty, pup, or hamster sounds just right. Speaking of “just right,” readers learn that dinos know the proper protocol for pet selection—never from a zoo but, rather, from a shelter, pet store, or farm. Wherever the pet comes from, loving care is what counts most. Yolen’s rhymes are jaunty, and, as always, Teague has a field day. His illustrations highlight the unbridled joy these vibrantly colored, lesser-known species of dinos (labeled in illustrations and on endpapers) have playing with a variety of creatures, and the artist has a dino-sized blast playing with perspective and spatial relationships. Interestingly, animals of the canine and feline varieties, rendered tiny of necessity, seem nonplussed by the generally enormous dinosaurs and, potential and current pet guardian-readers will be happy to note, take to TLC with devoted face licks, despite size differentials. Human figures are depicted with a variety of skin tones and ages.
Mammoth fun for dinosaur and pet lovers alike. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-338-03278-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
A welcome addition to the emotional-literacy shelf.
Little Worrysaurus has a big day planned, but will his fears get in the way of his perfect picnic?
After going through his morning routine, Worrysaurus packs up for the day and heads out into the world with nothing but blue skies and his planned picnic on his mind. However, it doesn’t take long for worry and doubt to start to set in. Did he bring enough food? Enough to drink? When he runs across a lizard who is sure it is going to rain, a “little worry butterfly” begins to flutter in Worrysaurus’ stomach. He’s not prepared for rain. As the worry butterfly flaps harder, he remembers something his mommy told him: “Don’t you worry now, my lovely, / you MUST try not to fret. / If it’s not a happy ending, / then it hasn’t ended yet.” Feeling better, Worrysaurus goes through his bag of “happy things” and is able to enjoy the rest of his day. This sweet title will help little human worrysauruses feel as though they are not alone, and it also offers coping tools for when fear and doubt start to take over. Chatterton’s illustrations depict an unthreatening pink theropod with an oversized head (and rather distractingly large nostrils) and effectively convey emotion through color: Happy moments are rendered in bright colors while fearful ones have darker spreads. Easy rhymes with good meter make this fun to read aloud. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 36% of actual size.)
A welcome addition to the emotional-literacy shelf. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-63408-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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