A charming, beautifully illustrated yarn that encourages children and adults alike to find their voices.
In Kruk’s illustrated children’s book, a king sends his sons to find the magical Bul Bul Bird—but it is his brave daughter who ends up saving the day.
King Krauklis is a lonely monarch, despite the company of his beloved sons and daughter. One day, Princess Sofija suggests to her distraught father that she find and bring back the magical Bul Bul Bird, with its “emerald feathers and eyes of azure blue.” Her eldest brother, Prince Koku, insists on setting out on the journey in her stead. After receiving directions (and a dire warning) from a wise old woman he encounters on the road, Prince Koku locates the Bul Bul Bird—and is subsequently turned into a tree by the bird’s magic ring. Upon realizing that Prince Koku is not returning, King Krauklis sends his second son, Prince Balt, to find his brother and the bird. After he comes to the same fate, Princess Sofija finally sets out to rescue both of her brothers and bring back the avian prize. After discovering the ring’s power and learning the reason the Bul Bul Bird turns all of its visitors to trees, the princess is able to bring everyone home to live happily ever after. Bridges’ illustrations shine with exquisite thin-lined details that tell a story unto themselves. The subdued color palette (mainly browns, beiges, and pale greens) is broken up by the delightful exception of the Bul Bul Bird itself, which contains pops of bright red around the face, indigo by the eyes, and yellow on the beak. Kruk’s engaging story offers both adventure and a discreetly haunting study of loneliness (both the king’s and the bird’s). The very last page places the story in Latvia—a detail that would have made more sense if included nearer the beginning. But the tale’s precise setting is ultimately unimportant, as its captivating plot and overarching themes of loneliness, love, and family take center stage.
A charming, beautifully illustrated yarn that encourages children and adults alike to find their voices.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780829460346
Page Count: 64
Publisher: 4U2B Books & Media
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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