A superficial celebration of diverse experiences, overcoming shyness, and friendship.
This debut gently encourages personal growth while reinforcing the value of being different.
Kat is most comfortable doing things “her very own way,” but sometimes she gets lonely. The “other kids” each have their own “very best friend”—an animal who serves as a playmate and confidant—so Kat is thrilled when Juju shows up. But Juju, a giant, fluffy red bird, soon diverges from Kat’s preferred activities and routines. While shy Kat is anxious about being disliked or being laughed at for being different, playful Juju sticks around and helps Kat both take herself less seriously and even befriend the other kids. With a limited color scheme of black, gray, red, and blue against a stark white background, the cartoon illustrations utilize watercolor- and crayonlike textures as well as collaged red gingham for Kat’s dress. The author/illustrator’s background in animation is evident: The children have large, round heads with exaggerated features. Black-haired Kat is white as paper. Among the other children, one has red hair and white skin, and there is a darker-skinned child with a black Afro; a third seems to have Asian features and, in a deeply unfortunate characterization choice, is almost always illustrated with prominent buck teeth. No other humans (not even family members!) or social institutions appear in the text or images, which makes this story feel disconnected from a larger community or context.
A superficial celebration of diverse experiences, overcoming shyness, and friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-4328-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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 friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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