A thoughtful story for young readers that deeply explores adoption narratives.
A young water buffalo struggles with the fact that he was adopted in Dunn’s illustrated children’s book.
Wade is feeling rather glum, because his birthday is coming up and he’s wondering what he always does around this time of year: “Why was I given away?” He reflects on how he was adopted by some American buffaloes from an orphanage in India. Wade loves his family, but it bothers him that he looks different than them, with his black fur and longer horns. At school, he’s often asked about his “real” family, and grown-ups keep saying he’s “lucky,” which confuses him. In his room, Wade cries himself to sleep and dreams that his bed is floating on an unfamiliar river. A much older water buffalo appears by his side and tells him a story about another water buffalo who lost her parents at a young age. As an adult, she worked hard, fell in love with another water buffalo, and got pregnant; he left her, and she was all alone. She places her baby outside an orphanage in the hope that he will have a better life than what she could give him. The baby, of course, is Wade; the storyteller then introduces himself as Wade’s great-great-grandpa and tells him that he wasn’t adopted because his birth mother didn’t love him, but because she did, with all her heart. Dunn’s book offers an important story about adoption. Some young readers are more likely to connect and empathize with human characters, but Aronovà’s artwork anthropomorphizes Wade and those around him. The story is tender and skillfully written, providing nuance to a complicated situation that’s unique to adoptive families. Helpful tips in the back of the book offer advice on how to approach adoption-related topics with children. Aronovà’s full-color cartoon illustrations are carefully rendered, mixing the whimsical aspects of the story with realistic, engaging images that often span two-page spreads.
A thoughtful story for young readers that deeply explores adoption narratives.Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781960111197
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Rodney K Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
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