The series continues to present appealing and likable characters gently exploring the moral dilemmas of childhood.
Bernardo, Carlos’ cousin whom he hasn’t seen in years, is temporarily moving in with Carlos and his family.
As in the prior two installments of the series, this title features an elementary-age, male protagonist of color. Carlos has recently discovered his love of animals. He’s motivated to work hard in school, and he keeps pets that help him learn more about animal behavior, including his prized geckos. Carlos doesn’t know much about Bernardo, just that he has had what is vaguely defined as a “hard year.” When Bernardo arrives, Carlos isn’t sure what to think. He finds himself sharing his room, his class, his soccer team—everything—with Bernardo. He wants to make Bernardo feel welcome but grows increasingly frustrated with his cousin’s sneaky and aggressive behavior. Appropriately, given the tight focus on Carlos’ perspective, the book doesn’t focus on the details of Bernardo’s challenges but rather on the ways in which he acts out, at times behaving as a bit of a bully. Eventually the tension boils over into a confrontation, followed by a somewhat rushed resolution and a lesson about empathy. Many independent readers, particularly boys, will identify with these characters and their struggles.
The series continues to present appealing and likable characters gently exploring the moral dilemmas of childhood. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-57529-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
An appealing family story with a sincere and goodhearted protagonist.
Beatrice More plans perfect parties—but her little sister’s birthday has snuck up on her this year, and things aren’t falling into place.
Eight-year-old Beatrice is a list-maker who thrives on being “professional” and keeping things tidy. When she realizes that Sophie’s birthday is in just two weeks, Beatrice has every intention of throwing the perfect party—but there are obstacles in her way. Her mother’s birthday cakes are lumpy and often burned. Her father sees no reason to buy new decorations even though their leftover decorations are from Halloween and Christmas. And, the family having recently moved, Sophie doesn’t have friends to invite, so Beatrice hands out invitations to random kids at the local playground. Things start to look up when Beatrice finds the perfect present for Sophie at the toy store, but then the dog gets to it while Beatrice looks for a hiding spot that won’t mess up her perfect bedroom. The expected problems are compounded by some unexpected, chuckleworthy ones, but Sophie declares her surprise party “absolutely purvect!” (Her idiosyncratic speech patterns may grate on readers.) Beatrice is brown-skinned like her mother; Sophie shares their father’s curly red hair and pale skin. Full-page illustrations move each chapter forward. Beatrice is quirky and familiar, with well-meaning parents; her settling for less than perfect is predictably sweet.
An appealing family story with a sincere and goodhearted protagonist. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1709-8
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
Sweet, funny, subtle.
From Spain, a warm assurance that “every nest is as special as every bird.”
The words (in uncredited translation) and pictures are mostly about birds and their nests, but perceptive readers will understand that the real subject is closer to home. After filling early pages with hundreds of fuzzy-edged animal figures that look like small stuffed toys, Colombo gives Márquez’s terse observations tongue-in cheek twists—placing nests and fancifully rendered nestlings atop a giraffe or in a crocodile’s mouth to reflect the fact that they are sometimes built “in very high spots” or “in dangerous places,” for instance. Some nests, he writes, “feel small,” others “crowded.” But even when not in the best possible spot (as, here, an empty tuna can), “for the bird family that calls it home…it’s the best nest in the world.” Literal-minded audiences may be more attuned to the less-elliptical approach in similarly themed titles such as Carson Ellis’ Home (2015) or Cynthia Rylant and Wendy Anderson Halperin’s Let’s Go Home (2002), but the illustrator’s puckish sense of humor and the narrative’s understated cadences combine to give this import an engagingly intimate tone.
Sweet, funny, subtle. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63592-126-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: StarBerry Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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