A sweetly fantastic addition to the early-reader shelf.
A little phoenix gets in touch with his feelings.
When Flare is born in a burst of flame, he, like all phoenixes, doesn’t have parents. But Cloud, Wind and Sun watch over him, and he’s a scrappy fellow who teaches himself how to fish and fly. When things go wrong, he sings a little song: “I am tough. / I am strong. / I do not cry.” Sun, Wind and Cloud worry that Flare is perhaps a bit too tough for his own good and decide to coax him toward greater sensitivity. First Cloud models crying by raining, and then Wind wails and howls. Instead of being inspired to soften up a bit and shed some tears of his own, Flare is repelled. Then Sun shines a path through the forest, leading Flare to a baby bird that has fallen from its nest and hurt its wing. The little bird cries in pain, and empathy finally moves Flare to tears as well. In a happy twist, the little phoenix’s tears magically heal the baby bird. While perhaps a bit heavy-handed (must Flare cry if he’s really doing OK?), the text is accessible. Throughout, Côté’s lively illustrations reinforce meaning from one brief chapter to the next, loose lines and broad swathes of color communicating energy and fun.
A sweetly fantastic addition to the early-reader shelf. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-927018-50-7
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
Dragon lovers—and all who enjoy being teased by playful disconnects between text and pictures—will be plenty happy indeed.
A mouse’s repeated and resolute denial of dragons is sorely tested by one fiery disaster after another.
Stoutly refusing to notice the outsized claws, fanged muzzles, spiked tails, and jagged shadows visible in each illustration, the minuscule narrator marches through a smoky forest, past a house that is converted to flaming wreckage on the next page, and through a town whose residents (of diverse species and skin colors) flee fiery destruction. Eventually the titular claim rings hollow even to the mouse, who then frantically tries to prevent readers from turning the page: “NOOOOOOO!” As if. And, indeed, the following spread is “FULL OF DRAGONS!”: horned, toothy, and gleefully pursuing the hapless narrator. Starting with “crumpled paper and various incendiary devices,” Koehler creates a set of brightly colored dragons set in singed collage scenes and closes with the mouse resentfully erasing the “Not” from a reproduction of the volume’s cover: “I hope you are happy.” Display type with jagged edges that emulate licking flames is a nice touch, as are the faux holes stray embers have burnt through the pages.
Dragon lovers—and all who enjoy being teased by playful disconnects between text and pictures—will be plenty happy indeed. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62979-168-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Sweet and spunky.
A young horse discovers the magical reason why she doesn’t fit in.
Sasha isn’t like the other horses in her herd. She loves running and craves adventure more than the others, especially her ladylike older sisters. She struggles in school with an “itchy feeling” of anticipation, which leaves her fidgety, unable to stay still or pay attention. As much as she tries to behave, she can’t fight her desire to run and jump—especially to jump. When the white patch on her back, the itching’s source, begins to sparkle, she goes to her parents for answers and gets more than she expected. Sasha was adopted; she joined their family as a newborn when, during a huge thunderstorm, a blast of sparkling rainbow lightning left Sasha behind with a letter asking her parents to take care of her. Wanting to know more, Sasha and her best friend go hiking at the mountain where her parents found her. Near the top of the mountain, an accidentally-too-enthusiastic jump launches Sasha off the mountain—whereupon she sprouts wings from her white patch and flies. Energetic readers will relate to Sasha’s manic, kinetic energy and envy her flight abilities. The sequel, Journey Beyond the Trees, releasing simultaneously, continues bold Sasha’s quest for answers as she travels in search of her kind. Gentle black-and-white art emphasizes the horses’ expressive eyes and manes.
Sweet and spunky. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0390-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
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