This duck can say whatever it wants. We say “Hooray!” for this book’s purr-fectly delightful ending.
Children who are loved know exactly where they belong.
“Joy abounds” when Cow lets out a raucous moo, then encourages the other animals to sing. They comply with equal enthusiasm—the animals’ signature sounds are presented throughout in speech balloons with large capitals and exclamation points—but are confounded when Duck utters a smallish “meow,” rendered in lower-case letters. The animals urge their tiny feathered pal to “try again.” Unperturbed Duck’s having none of it, despite the other animals’ persistent efforts to remind their friend that mewing is the sound that cats, not ducks, make. Finally, Yak explains that Duck should be quacking, but Duck protests: “I don’t say ‘Quack.’” Just then, Duck calls out “Mama!” to an initially unseen animal. A cat appears, calling for her kittens. Can you guess who joins her and the other kittens—and why Duck proudly, happily says “meow”? This winning New Zealand import is told in rollicking verse that scans beautifully and will have listeners echoing the animal sounds with gusto from start to finish. The animal characters burst from the pages with lively, cheeky personalities, and endearing Duck’s qualities come through in the adorable, thick-lined illustrations. The conclusion is satisfying, and the book's theme of inclusion makes it a lovely selection to bring to the attention of adoptive families.
This duck can say whatever it wants. We say “Hooray!” for this book’s purr-fectly delightful ending. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781684648962
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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