Simply lovely.
Little Bird loves his cozy nest so much that, as winter approaches, he can’t bear to leave it.
Every day, Little Bird sits on his favorite branch, eats his favorite food (juicy red berries), and listens to his favorite music, provided by wind chimes tied to another, nearby branch. So, when the wind starts to blow and his big brother tells him it’s time to head south to the family’s winter home, Little Bird decides to take all his favorite things, including his nest, with him. As the flock flies higher and higher, Little Bird tries to keep up, but it’s hopeless. His favorite branch falls into the mouth of a grateful dog, the wind chimes land near a shepherd atop a snowy mountain, and a clap of thunder sends Little Bird’s gathered berries onto the quills of a porcupine. When Little Bird finally reaches his new home, he doesn’t have his favorite things. In a short time, though, he discovers lots of new favorite things. And soon it feels like home. Empson’s dreamy illustrations capture the beauty and majesty of nature with warmth and elegance; wide-eyed Little Bird is a green-and-yellow puffball. Children will readily identify with both his juvenile appearance and his desire to cling to the familiar. The text is properly simple and direct and is closed with a short postscript on the adventure of migration.
Simply lovely. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-84643-889-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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