by Keith L. Huff ; illustrated by Keith L. Huff and Joshua Schiller ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2018
While the volume’s mix of fact and fiction may give some readers pause, others will enjoy this animal tale about friendship...
A kangaroo struggles to fit in when his family moves to a new home in this picture book.
Opening with facts about Australia (from the Latin for “Southern Land”) and kangaroos (that country boasts over 60 different kinds), this tale gives the impression that it will be a nonfiction answer to the titular question. Several types of kangaroos are introduced along with some information about their physical abilities—and yes, they can swim, but mostly just to avoid predators. One gray kangaroo who loves to swim is the fictional Joey, who adores the water more than his peers. When his family prepares to relocate, his mother suggests he might find a friend to swim with in their new place. After a discouraging revelation (their new home is a desert) and an impulsive rescue, Joey eventually meets a kindred spirit who shows him a swimming hole. The switch from facts to Huff’s (For Sale by Owner, 2018) fanciful story is jarring and may make young readers doubt the things they learned in the early pages. But the author’s amusing, stylized illustrations, with Schiller’s (The Story of Little Pickle, 2017) bright colors, are consistent throughout. It’s worth perusing the book just for two textless pages—a face-off between a wicked snake and a scared turtle—that capture the emotion of the moment perfectly.
While the volume’s mix of fact and fiction may give some readers pause, others will enjoy this animal tale about friendship that features humorous images.Pub Date: June 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-71804-549-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Next Page Publishers LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.
Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.
“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
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by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Tom Fletcher
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by Carson Ellis ; illustrated by Carson Ellis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 2015
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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