A beautifully illustrated, informative, and warmhearted book about animals from a creationist perspective.
This illustrated children’s book explains why God gave animals their individual characteristics.
Why do frogs have eyes on top of their heads? Why do beavers have such long teeth? Why do turtles have thick shells? Debut author Wilde answers these and similar questions. The opening line is “God made everything for a purpose,” and the book takes a creationist rather than an evolutionary stance. To children, the idea that God created animals to fit their environments may not seem very different from animals adapting to their environments through the processes of evolution, but parents will be aware. For some, this may not be the book they want setting the stage for later understanding. But these are not Just-So stories; Wilde provides good explanations of how an animal’s body especially suits it to find food and shelter in varied environments. For example, frogs’ eyes are on top of their heads “so they can hide underwater and still see out!”; God gave turtles thick shells “so they can hide when they get startled!” The tone is warm and humorous, as when the turtle isn’t startled by a predator but by a curious baby turtle. The animals are friendly looking and sometimes quite beautiful, like the luscious rainbow trout; others are adorable, like fat-cheeked chipmunks. Some happy children illustrated in the last few pages appear multiracial. Wilde also provides nice touches when she plays with words and images. For example, the “w” in a duck’s “webbed feet” is made with tiny duck feet, perfectly illustrating the concept. Wilde’s beautiful, full-color, soft-edged pictures are very appealing while also providing accurate details about animals and their particular environments, including, for example, cutaway views of a beaver’s den or chipmunk’s lair. The final message to children is that God created them for a purpose, too: “so you can know Him and enjoy His creation!” Wilde succeeds in making all the varieties of creation enjoyable.
A beautifully illustrated, informative, and warmhearted book about animals from a creationist perspective.Pub Date: July 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9974828-0-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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