Readers will have to suspend some realities of the animal kingdom, but may still enjoy this somewhat charming look at nature.
A duck encounters a sly, determined fox in a marsh setting.
On vividly illustrated pages, readers follow a duck through his day, gliding through the reeds, feasting on weeds and relishing the sun–with happy insects completing the idyllic scene. Lurking in the background, however, is a red fox waiting to surprise his unsuspecting prey. The duck doesn’t notice his predator at first, focusing instead on a beautiful butterfly, but soon sees the overbearing fox and his menacing sharp teeth. The fox takes aim and lands on the duck’s back–the resulting flurry of feathers begins to choke the fox, who begs the duck for help. Seeing a way out of his dilemma, the wise duck thwacks the fox’s head and back, clearing his throat. The fox then lets the duck go his way–hence the book’s title. Autumn arrives in a riot of colors, and the duck sees a V-shaped group of his brethren flying above. He spreads his wings, joins the troop and heads south. After the cold winter, duck returns to the marsh and is swimming with some baby ducks when he notices fox, still up to his scheming tricks. The fox’s target this time is a duckling–the duck saves the small bird by landing on the fox’s back and forcing him to let go. After a reprimand, the fox agrees to leave the ducklings alone. Weis draws on her rural childhood experience and her current Wisconsin home when she crafted this naturalistic tale. Still, some of her rhyming verse may be too mature for the children likely to be this book’s target audience, both in content and structure. Still, the text pairs well with the occasionally awkward illustrations and keeps the narrative moving at a comfortable pace. The animal characters and colorful pictures will have young children interested whether reading in a classroom setting or at home.
Readers will have to suspend some realities of the animal kingdom, but may still enjoy this somewhat charming look at nature.Pub Date: July 28, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4196-9726-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In two short stories, Golembe (Dog Magic, 1997) chronicles the relocation of Annabelle, a puppy, from the frozen tundra to the warm tropics, thereby addressing the wide range of emotions involved in moving. Annabelle likes her old home and all the routines associated with it; she’s consequently bewildered when her family packs everything up and movers take their belongings away. While Annabelle has settled into her new home, she is lonely and finds it difficult to make new acquaintances. “She saw dogs who looked strange to her, not like the dogs in her old neighborhood.” A romp at a local dog beach provides the opportunity for Annabelle to find friendship. Golembe’s illustrations are a panorama of lush tropical colors—vivid fuchsias, deep indigos, and rich azure hues entice the eye. Her sympathetic treatment of the subject and the positive resolution offers encouragement for children immersed in the turmoil of moving. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-91543-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
Carolina’s life is not a perfect one, but she’s content. She, mother Melanie, and baby sister Trinity go from place to place in the old school bus that Melanie transformed into a home of sorts, with beds and a table and chairs—and no electricity or water, of course. They stop wherever there are opportunities for Melanie to find enough work to pay for food and other necessities; this time, they have taken up residence in a field above the ocean, where Carolina rescues an infant crow and it becomes her fast and only friend. She meets wheelchair-bound Stefan, whose father owns the field on which Carolina’s family is squatting. She and Stefan hit it off, and he introduces her to his mother, who takes an understandable interest in her; her own daughter, Heather, died. When Melanie decides to move to Oregon, Carolina stays behind with Crow, living with Stefan’s family. It’s inevitable that Carolina will change her mind—Melanie is a loving mother and Stefan’s mother has several issues to work out—but Hobbs (Get It While It’s Hot. Or Not., 1996, etc.) handles the path of Carolina’s reasoning well. It’s an unusual story, with interesting characters and a strong plot, and it’s fair to say that Crow steals the show, teaching Carolina how to accept change and to fly in spite of it. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 19, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-31153-6
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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