Wonderfully animated illustrations and a dramatic story, even if it’s unfair to mountain lions.
In this children’s picture book, a bison can’t seem to connect with others of his kind, but he’s protective of the many friends he has.
On the prairie lives a bison known as Boomer, because when he runs, his hooves go “BOOM-BOOMER-BOOM!” He sometimes seems to see other bison in the distance, but when he tries to run after them, he can never catch up. Luckily, though, Boomer counts numerous other creatures among his friends, including a jackrabbit named Hop-Hopper-Hop; a butterfly, Flit-Flitter-Flit; and Tweet-Tweeter-Tweet, a meadowlark. They’re all scared of Roar-Roarer-Roar, a mountain lion, and for good reason: he has sharp claws and teeth, as well as a sharp intellect. One day, when Boomer leaves his friends and climbs a hill to search for other bison, Roarer sees his chance and attacks. When Boomer hears the meadlowlark’s frightened twittering, he runs to defend them, booming even “louder than Roarer could roar” and frightening him away. Afterward, the friends realize that they’re also a family. Viola (Nightmares Unhinged, 2015, etc.) tells an emotional story in which danger and loneliness resolve into good feelings of unity and mutual care. The language has a pleasing drama and rhythm: “When Boomer tiptoed, his name sounded soft. Boom… Boomer… Boom. When Boomer ran, his name thundered across the valley. BOOMBOOMERBOOM!” Parents who desire accurate depictions of nature, though, may dislike how a predator, a necessary part of the food chain, is villainized. This is certainly traditional in children’s literature, but some other books on prairie animals are more realistic. Illustrators Bell and Lovett contribute greatly to the storytelling with their full-color, varied, and highly expressive—almost cinematic—pictures, which show the prairie’s beauty. The animals are well-rendered, dynamic, and realistic; their faces show a gamut of emotions from sweetness to cunning.
Wonderfully animated illustrations and a dramatic story, even if it’s unfair to mountain lions.Pub Date: June 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9988265-0-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: Jam Publishers
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
