A welcome addition to the canine canon for young readers.
All dogs may not go to heaven, but MacKenzie and her friends—loyal and kindhearted pups—earn their places in Haven by standing up for justice, even when it gets them in mortal trouble.
Life on the street has its advantages. Mackenzie, a border collie, makes friends, keeps her own hours and, most importantly, is able to scavenge sustenance for her friend Buddy, a standard poodle whose owners have no qualms about leaving him chained in the yard for days with little food and water. Buddy’s favorite grub is french fries, but he can’t be picky—he’s too hungry. Mackenzie remains focused on helping Buddy, but she’s also interested in vengeance. Her old friend Howie was hit and killed by a Hummer and every time MacKenzie hears the telltale rev of that engine, she gives chase. Sadly, the Hummer and its driver prove to be the stronger force and are once again successful in their quest for destruction. Through a series of happy and sad adventures, MacKenzie and Buddy find themselves on the Other Side, where they must stay true to their natures while teaching valuable lessons. Russell writes this sweet story with careful attention to the whimsical detail that will delight young readers. The book’s plot will hold their attention, and the author packs the narrative with creative language that will appeal to adults and young readers alike. While books about pets, especially those who populate the afterlife, tend toward the overly saccharine, this falls well within the sphere of digestible cuteness. Each canine character is distinct, and Russell doesn’t settle for hackneyed descriptions or stiff action scenes. Her writing is bright and intricate, fun and profound.
A welcome addition to the canine canon for young readers.Pub Date: April 8, 2011
ISBN: 978-1456411954
Page Count: 171
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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