Packed with great extension possibilities, visually engaging illustrations, and quick rhymes, this read-aloud would be a...
Two children of color count local insects and flora in an explosion of colors and textures.
“It’s time for some bug-counting fun!” A brother and sister are wakened by the warmth of the rising sun. Prepared with their net, magnifying glass, and notebook, they rush to explore the diverse microhabitats on their farm. “Leafhoppers, leafhoppers, hopping all about. / 3 by the farrow, 7 by the yarrow. / How many bugs hopping about? / 10!” Each page has its own version of this clever, internally rhyming verse, inviting a search for 10 scurrying bugs weaving in and out of highlighted blossoms or shrubs. Midway through the story is a challenging search-and-find illustration reviewing the count up to 50. Young readers will naturally be entranced, searching every pond, field, and barn for the crawling critters. Each page is literally teeming with life, thanks to Kaufman’s multilayered textures, vivid hues, and bright lighting. At dusk the siblings snuggle up in bed to review their notebook, in which the total number of bugs and their accompanying illustrations are laid out to count to 100. Guides to both the insects and plants depicted follow, providing curious readers with further information.
Packed with great extension possibilities, visually engaging illustrations, and quick rhymes, this read-aloud would be a great addition to any STEM shelf. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-374-30631-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Fun enough to read once but without enough substance to last.
Familiar crayon characters argue over which color is the essential Christmas color.
Green starts by saying that green is for Christmas. After all, green is for holly. But Red objects. Red is for candy canes. Green is for fir trees, Green retorts. But Red is for Santa Claus, who agrees. (Santa is depicted as a white-bearded White man.) Then White joins the fray. After spending the year being invisible, White isn’t giving up the distinction of association with Christmas. Snow, anyone? But then there’s Silver: stars and bells. And Brown: cookies and reindeer! At this point, everyone is confused. But they come together and agree that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without all of them together. Someone may get the last word, though. In Daywalt and Jeffers’ now-signature style, the crayon-written text is spare and humorous, while the crayon characters engage with each other against a bare white background, vying for attention. Dot-eyed faces and stick legs on each object turn them all into comical, if similar, personalities. But the series’ original cleverness is absent here, leaving readers with a perfunctory recitation of attributes. Fans of the crayon books may delight in another themed installment; those who aren’t already fans will likely find it lacking. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fun enough to read once but without enough substance to last. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-35338-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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