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A FRIEND FOR ALL SEASONS

Name: A FRIEND FOR ALL SEASONS
Author: Julia Hubery
ISBN: 978-1-4169-2685-6

by Julia Hubery & illustrated by Mei Matsuoka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 21, 2007

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Cute Robbie Raccoon learns nature lessons via the life cycle of Father Oak. Robbie loves the stream near his home, the swishy grass and, most of all, Father Oak, the tree in which he was born and around which he plays with his friend Chip, a squirrel. When the seasons change, Robbie, Chip, Blackbird and some other small animals try, unsuccessfully, to use fallen leaves as a kind of blanket to protect Father Oak. Mother explains that the falling leaves are a signal that winter is coming, and that Father Oak will be just fine. The raccoons and their neighbors need to gather acorns and make their own winter blankets. Matsuoka’s mixed-media pictures show the seasonal changes on Father Oak and the surrounding environment in a warm palette of earth tones. A gentle tale with a nifty lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-4169-2685-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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I WANT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS

by John Rox & illustrated by Bruce Whatley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2005

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The words to a Christmas song from the 1950s serve as the text for this exploration of a most unusual Christmas gift. An unnamed little girl in pink pajamas is the first-person narrator, explaining in detail why she wants a hippopotamus as her present. Various views of the hippo are shown in a slightly confusing, nonlinear time sequence, but then why would time proceed in a straightforward fashion with a hippo in the house? Santa is shown pushing the hippo through the door, and the following pages show the little girl caring for her hippo, unwrapping it as a Christmas package (a different packaging treatment is shown on the cover), and then flying off with Santa as the hippo pulls the sleigh. Though the little girl and the words to the song are rather ordinary, the lively, lavender hippo in Whatley’s illustrations is a delightful creature, with a big, pink bow on its head and expressive, bulging eyes. (In fact, that hippo deserves a name and a story of its own.) The music and song lyrics are included in the final spread. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-06-052942-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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TEN LITTLE FISH

by Audrey Wood & illustrated by Bruce Wood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2004

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This charming, colorful counting tale of ten little fish runs full-circle. Although the light verse opens and closes with ten fish swimming in a line, page-by-page the line grows shorter as the number of fish diminishes one-by-one. One fish dives down, one gets lost, one hides, and another takes a nap until a single fish remains. Then along comes another fish to form a couple and suddenly a new family of little fish emerges to begin all over. Slick, digitally-created images of brilliant marine flora and fauna give an illusion of underwater depth and silence enhancing the verse’s numerical and theatrical progression. The holistic story bubbles with life’s endless cycle. (Picture book. 3-5)