A bear-y good choice for storytime.
A nearly wordless tale of the bond between stuffed toy and child.
The title shares three of just four words used throughout this story, which relies on well-paced sequential art to establish a child’s love of their toy bear and to chronicle how they navigate their first day of school without it. With a style akin to Bob Graham’s with a dash of Helen Oxenbury, wordless frontmatter illustrations show Bear in a blue beribboned box. Next, the blue ribbon now around its neck, Bear sits on a nursery shelf. Subsequent spreads show the child growing up, with Bear their constant companion. Foreshadowing the school-day separation to come, one of the child’s parents takes Bear to the washing machine, and the protagonist turns red with rage (“BEAR WITH ME!”). Soon after reuniting with a clean Bear, the child sits the toy with other stuffed animals and points at a picture on an easel emblazoned with the word SCHOOL. Though the child makes valiant efforts to keep “Bear. with. me” while preparing to go to school, their parent insists that Bear stay home. Another tantrum doesn’t follow, however, as the child settles into classroom routines and keeps Bear “with” them by dressing up like a bear, painting a picture of Bear, and so on before a happy reunion at home sure to delight anyone who’s ever missed a plush pal. The child and their parents are light-skinned; their school is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A bear-y good choice for storytime. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593307670
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
An A+ for Little E and his creator.
A petite excavator named Little E finds his place among a crew of full-sized, heavy-construction equipment working together to build a park.
The anthropomorphic Little E, with bright, friendly eyes and a cheery smile, invites readers into the story on the large-format cover. He is followed by a brown-and-white–spotted dog, which appears throughout the story as a friend to Little E. The construction vehicles arrive at an abandoned lot and begin working together to transform the property into a park. The rollicking, rhyming text names each type of rig and its function, including lots of sound effects and action verbs set in display type integrated into the illustrations: “Pusha-pusha smusha-smusha SMASH SMASH SMASH!” Little E tries to help with each step, but he is either too small or not strong enough for the task at hand. The last step of the park-construction project is the planting of a tree on an island reached by a bridge, but all the big rigs are too large to safely cross the wooden bridge. In a pitch-perfect conclusion, Little E is just the right size for the job. Dewdney, the late author/illustrator of the Llama Llama series, has constructed a solid winner for one of her final books, with an appealing main character, vibrant illustrations with varying perspectives, and an action-packed, rhyming text with sound effects just begging to be read aloud with dramatic effect.
An A+ for Little E and his creator. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-99920-2
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
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