When a boy reads a book about birds, his imagination takes flight. Multicolored acrylic paintings on bright, spare backgrounds narrow the focus straight to the boy and his dreams of taking wing with some colorful feathered friends. When asked, the boy’s father explains that the boy can’t fly because he doesn’t have wings—he has arms and hands instead. More “why” questions follow, resulting in the boy being hugged, swung and tossed, until he soars through the air with the help of his father. The minimal, dialogue-only text works well, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the illustrations and perhaps add some description of their own. Sitting together in an armchair, the boy and his father then embark on a new reading selection about fish. Questions about fins seem sure to follow! An engaging and effective father-son story in which the main characters are black and race is not presented as an issue, this is a charming introduction to the worlds of books, birds and imagination, and an apt choice for parent-child reading. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-56145-430-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2009
With perfect pitch and hilariously deadpan delivery, Schwartz follows a two- (or so) year-old through an ordinary, completely wonderful day. Henry shares an apartment house with “one baby, two little girls, three big boys,” a set of triplets his age, plus a bird, two cats, and a assortment of parents, sitters, and relatives—all of whom matter-of-factly go about the business of getting up, dressing, going out, coming in, playing, napping, eating, and, at day’s end, getting ready for bed. Schwartz’s plainspoken text and delicately drawn urban scenes are not only rich in the sorts of details and routines that make up a young child’s world, but include more nuanced interactions that will engage parental readers too: “ ‘Look at Peter’s lovely underpants,’ Henry’s mother says. ‘Henry wears underpants sooner or later,’ Henry says.” A sensitive observer in top form, Schwartz has created a treasure of a tale that captures marvels in everyday life. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-84802-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Zee (2003) returns for a night’s horseplay (okay, zebraplay) with his parents. Annoyed at being sent away while the grownups watch a scary movie on TV, Zee sneaks back beneath a sheet, and sends them galloping out of the room with a loud “BOO.” Eventually, after some mysterious household noises and much tiptoeing about in the dark, all end up snuggled together in bed. Zee’s parents put up a convincing show of alarm in Gay’s Marc-Simont–like illustrations, but with darkness indicated by the thinnest and most transparent of sepia washes, every figure is always plainly, reassuringly visible to young viewers. “Don’t be afraid,” Zee murmurs, in a bit of role reversal at the end of this cozy bedtime episode, “I’ll stay with you and hold you tight. Good night!” Sleep tight. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 22, 2004
ISBN: 0-618-43931-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
