An excellent new tale reiterating an old—but still relevant—ecological issue.
A jaguar family must move from its area in the Amazon to a safer part, untouched by human machines, in this plea to save the rainforest.
Inti lives with his mother and sister, Chasca, in the Amazon rainforest. Giving a basic description of life as a jaguar cub through Inti’s voice, Ely (The Peaceable Forest, 2012) spends several pages of this picture book getting readers comfortable with the setting and enjoying the tranquility of the animals. But one day, everything changes with the appearance of “A sky machine! That means danger,” as Inti’s mother explains. Debut illustrator Gendron deftly captures the devastation; in contrast to the lush forest, the cleared land, logging machines, and pipeline are disturbingly out of place. Following their mother, Inti and Chasca deal with a poisoned river, farmland, and nightmares until reaching a safe new home. Although the playfulness in the jaguars’ expressions seems out of place in such a serious context, the details in their fur, the biodiversity of the landscape, and the beautiful colors make the gorgeous images worth returning to. A partial map of South America shows some of the rainforest’s vibrant residents, and a list of featured animals with short descriptions provides the audience with a delightful seek-and-find game to play. Ely’s text is at times intense and overly earnest, and her choice of Incan names for the modern-day Amazonians is an odd one. But the message resonates, and young environmentalists will likely gravitate to the cubs.
An excellent new tale reiterating an old—but still relevant—ecological issue.Pub Date: April 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9996654-0-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Chandra Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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