by Joanne C. Hillhouse illustrated by Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 30, 2017
An appealing book, all the more so for being based on real life.
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A daydreaming Arctic seal finds himself lost in tropical waters in this children’s picture book.
This book is based on the true story of a young seal that became stranded off Antigua in the Caribbean. Thanks to the Antiguan Coast Guard, he was rescued and returned to his native waters. As told by Hillhouse (With Grace, 2016, etc.), the story centers on an Arctic seal called Dolphin because of his nose. A slow swimmer and a daydreamer, Dolphin falls behind his friends one day and drifts into the path of an enormous ship, which hits him and knocks him out. Waking up, Dolphin finds himself in strange waters. The sea is too warm and the creatures are unfamiliar, though friendly. He learns he’s in the Caribbean and that some good humans might help him. He meets actual dolphins and wishes he could stay with these new friends, but he also wants to go home. As he’s carried on a stretcher toward a plane, Dolphin can’t wait to talk about his Caribbean adventure. A maze puzzle is included. Boodoo-Fortuné’s illustrations convey the Caribbean’s beautiful colors; large lash-fringed eyes (sometimes realistically, as for seals, sometimes less so, as with jellyfish) indicate the characters’ trustworthiness and affection. Children will likely relate well to this story of getting lost while daydreaming and to the reassurance that kindly adults will look after strays. The book also gives them a chance to learn more about the work of environmentalists and Caribbean sea life.
An appealing book, all the more so for being based on real life.Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2017
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: CaribbeanReads Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2014
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry
BOOK REVIEW
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph
BOOK REVIEW
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart
BOOK REVIEW
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart
BOOK REVIEW
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart
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