Totally, infectiously ebullient.
A little girl finds out how much she has in common with her new puppy.
A squat brown-skinned tot, with springy brown ringlets—to match her basset hound’s floppy ears—is presented with a new puppy. “I got a new friend,” the narrator declares. Is the girl or the puppy telling this story? It very well could be either. “She’s kind of shy” (both the gal and the pup peer timidly at each other), “…but she got used to me” (now both are all smiles). She can be naughty, messy, even stinky (requisite bathroom scene for storytime giggles), but she always needs lots of kisses. The cheerfully ingenuous text places the two in a comfortable, middle-class setting: there is a yard to play in, an easy chair to plant muddy foot- and pawprints on, and a sturdy yellow bed to jump on. Edwards’ figures have the lovable solidity of Charles Schulz’s, the girl with a round, slightly outsized head and both with infectious smiles. In the end, Edwards seems to clear up all narratorial ambiguity: “She can be a lot of work, but I love her. / She’s my little girl!” (Both the girl and pup are entangled in a hug.) But of course, the puppy could be a girl, too. One will never know—but discussion possibilities abound. A spread of further friendship tips appears on the rear endpapers. The book seems set up to explore a new pet relationship, yet it works on any friendship level and perhaps even a new-sibling introduction.
Totally, infectiously ebullient. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 23, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55700-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Too many bugs, figuratively.
Lucy, “the youngest member of a family of fireflies,” must overcome an irrational, moon-induced anxiety in order to leave her family tree trunk and glow.
The first six pages pull readers into a lush, beautiful world of nighttime: “When the sun has set, silence falls over the Big Forest, and all of the nighttime animals wake up.” Mixed media provide an enchanting forest background, with stylized flora and fauna eventually illuminated by a large, benign moon, because the night “doesn’t like to catch them by surprise.” Turning the page catches readers by surprise, though: the family of fireflies is decidedly comical and silly-looking. Similarly, the text moves from a lulling, magical cadence to a distinct shift in mood as the bugs ready themselves for their foray into the night: “They wave their bottoms in the air, wiggle their feelers, take a deep, deep breath, and sing, ‘Here we go, it’s time to glow!’ ” It’s an acceptable change, but more unevenness follows. Lucy’s excitement about finally joining the other bugs turns to “sobbing” two nights in a row. Instead of directly linking her behavior to understandable reactions of children to newness, the text undermines itself by making Lucy’s parents’ sweet reassurances impotent and using the grandmother’s scientific explanation of moonlight as an unnecessary metaphor. Further detracting from the story, the text becomes ever denser and more complex over the book’s short span.
Too many bugs, figuratively. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-84-16147-00-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
Practical, if somewhat fluffy, bedtime guidance, hampered by muddled prose.
In actor Mendes’ debut picture book, an anxious young sleeper learns to overcome scary nighttime thoughts with help from Mami.
A cry shatters the peaceful night. “MAMI! There’s a monster under my bed!” Mami rushes to Desi’s room, where no monsters await. Instead, worries plague the young girl. Is Desi’s brain the real monster? Mami quells those fears. After all, the brain holds many jobs (“learning new things, solving problems”), but sometimes it brings unwanted thoughts, almost like a bully. With encouragement from her mom, Desi realizes that she’s the boss of her rogue mind. She can try to separate herself from pushy thoughts to feel calm; she can even blow negative thoughts away with the might of positive ones. It just takes a little patience. Brava! Perhaps bedtime isn’t so scary. Mendes tackles the delicate matter of nighttime woes—familiar to children and adults alike—with compassion, framing her tale as a discussion between mother and daughter. The often clunky text disrupts the otherwise serene tone. Still, though the advice is a bit pat, many readers will find it useful. Rich with purples, blues, and pinks among interludes of puffy white clouds, Bryant’s pitch-perfect artwork serves the text well; Desi’s anthropomorphic brain, clad in a nightcap, is an especially fun addition. Desi and Mami read Latine.
Practical, if somewhat fluffy, bedtime guidance, hampered by muddled prose. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781250867438
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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