A promising start to a series for fledgling fantasy readers
The first entry in the Last Firehawk series introduces the whimsical adventures of a brave little owl and his friends.
In the land of Perodia, a dark Shadow encroaches on Valor Wood. The evil vulture Thorn (who, oddly, doesn’t appear in this first book though he’s mentioned in the introduction) controls The Shadow’s dark magic, aiming, for reasons unknown, to destroy the beautiful forest. Enter Tag, a small barn owl with big dreams. He longs to join the Owls of Valor, a group of warriors who protect Valor Wood from threats like Thorn and The Shadow. When Grey, their wise old leader, forbids all animals from entering the treacherous Howling Caves, Tag sees his chance to prove his bravery. Tag and his best pal, Skyla, a mischievous, slingshot-wielding girl squirrel, set off to investigate the caves, where they find a mysterious golden egg. Soon, the egg hatches the eponymous last firehawk, whom Tag names Blaze. Firehawks are magical birds, long thought extinct, who guard the Ember Stone against any who might use it for ill. Unfortunately, the Stone is broken and scattered about Perodia. Tag, Skyla, and Blaze must race to collect the Stone’s pieces before Thorn can get his vile talons on them and destroy the world. The black-and-white sketches depict Disney-esque, wide-eyed animals, while onomatopoeia pops off the page at regular intervals. The story is heavy on dialogue, with no shortage of exclamation points, keeping the energy level high and pages turning.
A promising start to a series for fledgling fantasy readers . (Animal fantasy. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-12230-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
It's another sweet confection, with nary a mention of winning or losing—for those who like their international encounters on...
An invitation to the “World Games” leads to international friendships for the porky little skating star introduced in Dream Big, Little Pig (2011).
Though Paris is far away from New Pork City, little Poppy quickly loses her initial anxiety at being among strangers from many countries. As her BF Emma puts it: “everyone smiles in the same language!” In no time, she’s hooked up with a snowboarder from China (“Ni hao”) and found common ground with an Italian skier in the music of Poochini (“Buona fortuna!”). She discusses costume design with a fellow skater from Japan (“Ganbatte kudasai”), then gives a nervous Aussie speed skater a pep talk (parting with a “hooroo!”). Promoting the proper air of bright bonhomie, Bowers dresses a diverse cast of happy-looking, big-headed animals in sportswear or casual clothing and leaves the airy backgrounds either blank or lightly traced with arabesques and swooping curves. Finally, having “skated from her heart” in the competition, Poppy joins her proud parents for a week of French food (laying off the charcuterie, one hopes), sightseeing and sending postcards.
It's another sweet confection, with nary a mention of winning or losing—for those who like their international encounters on the bland side. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4022-6644-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasingly high-energy invitation to see, understand and appreciate art… and to make some too.
Three frisky mice, sensibilities honed by an exposure to painting in Look! Look! Look! (2006), give 3-D art a similarly close onceover.
The story is centered on an abstract work in slate by Barbara Hepworth in the Yale Center for British Art (where Friedlaender is a curator), but it features sharp color photos of 20 other sculptures from as many eras and cultures. Wallace’s clean, spacious paper collages offer a representative museum exhibit that showcases the broad variety of materials and styles sculpture encompasses. Her three small but well-equipped visitors take formalized “museum walks” around the Hepworth and utter cogent observations: “I see spaces between the shapes!” “I see spaces in the shapes!” “I see four smooth, shiny, crescent-moon shapes!” They whip out sketch pads and tiles of modeling clay for some playful experimentation with forms, placement and texture before the book closes with a recap gallery and instructions for creating “paper SHAPE sculptures” with cut-out circles and triangles.
A pleasingly high-energy invitation to see, understand and appreciate art… and to make some too. (credits, thumbnail bio of Hepworth) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7614-6132-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
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