A nod to “Little Red Riding Hood,” yes, but also a not-so-scary, sweet treat on its own.
A small child in a red cape carries a basket through a forest filled with creatures—including an enormous wolf!
This wordless story begins before the title page as the gigantic wolf emerges from the forest to deliver bags holding wrapping paper, ribbons, and party hats to an older woman waiting at the door of a cabin. Alexander’s detailed black-and-white illustrations convey the textures of bark, fur, mushrooms, clothing, and the wolf’s huge bushy tail, which extends past several trees at once. Shades of red and pink, the only colors against black, white, and gray, draw the eye. The girl, in red hoodie and black boots, looks intrepid as she enters the forest. (The girl and her grandmother are shown with dark hair and light, but not white, skin.) The wolf strategically blocks Red’s view as a skunk tiptoes through the trees with a red-ribboned package and a pair of red foxes pass by with bouquets of red balloons. As the little girl catches sight of a bird with a pink streamer, two rabbits sneak by with a cake, frosted in pink. The surprise that awaits the child at her grandmother’s house is full of warmth and good cheer, and somehow all the creatures fit into the small space.
A nod to “Little Red Riding Hood,” yes, but also a not-so-scary, sweet treat on its own. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 17, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-944903-11-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Tsiang portrays the life cycle of imagination with a deft touch; Leng's pictures capture both mirth and motion. Lovely.
Can a girl's imagination turn stones into eggs?
Little Abby and her cute dog find two heavy eggs in the backyard. There's no nest nearby: "They must have fallen from the sky," she thinks. Lickety-split, Abby makes a nest of sweaters so she can hatch them. Mother says that they're just stones, but she lets Abby carry her nest to the kitchen so she won't miss dinner. That night, Abby's dreams are especially lively. There could be swans inside the eggs, or alligators or turtles! Next morning, Abby hears some cracks, and out pop two peeping chicks. Mom wonders what Abby's doing with her paint set; even colored blue and yellow, "They're still stones," Mom insists. Clever photo collage allows both to be true: The photographed stones form the bodies of the blue-and-yellow chicks, while wings, tails and heads are rendered in the same cartoon style as the rest of the illustrations. One day, the chicks stop singing, then their feathers begin to fall off. Abby knows what she must do. She takes them outside and kisses them and watches them fly away. Later that day, Mom asks whether Abby wants to bring her birds in for the night. "Those aren't my birds," Abby declares. "Those are stones."
Tsiang portrays the life cycle of imagination with a deft touch; Leng's pictures capture both mirth and motion. Lovely. (Picture book 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55451-433-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The inspiring life of Neil Armstrong, set to music.
"Neil was born on an August morn" and, to hear Saunders tell it, pointed out the window at the moon as he lay in his crib. When he's old enough, he climbs out and shakes his sleeping father awake, declaring "I want to go to the moon!" Dad explains gently that rocket ships are just in storybooks, that he'll never go to the moon. But Neil holds on to his dream, building a rocket ship that looks like a Rube Goldberg contraption and studying exhaustively. His teachers agree that it's good to have a goal, "but yours is too extreme." When he finishes college, the only job he can find is working at night as a dishwasher, but this leaves him time to practice flying during the day. In 1962, he becomes an astronaut, "the finest of the finest," and in 1969, a general asks Neil the question he's waited all his life to hear: "Do you want to go to the moon?" and the rest, as they say, is history. The enclosed CD puts the rhyming text of the book to pleasant music. Nugent's illustrations are colorful, and the solid message is presented with upbeat clarity. But Saunders' writing is often clumsy, and the tone of the story inconsistent. Sunny, but unlikely to add much to children's knowledge. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-897476-56-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
