More a 21st-century meditation on selfhood than an encouragement to quiet observation.
A light-skinned, blond boy and his light-skinned, brown-haired mother wander through the woods, looking at birds.
Presumably in an effort to encourage observation and to allow the child to relate to wildlife, they play a (awkwardly worded) game called “Am I Like You?” in which they address the questions “What birds are like us? / What birds are we like?” The illustrations are skillfully drawn, bold, and Disney-esque in aesthetic, clearly and accurately portraying characteristics of common North American birds: American robin, chickadee, cardinal, blue jay, red-tailed hawk, hummingbird, Canada goose, mallard, great blue heron, pigeon, and owl. However if the intention of this book is to introduce characteristics of birds to young children, it falls short. The text consists of poorly scanned, sometimes confusing verse that anthropomorphizes birds but does little to illuminate their true characteristics and habits, in some cases even obscuring them. This book seems to bend over backward to popularize nature study and in doing so, dumbs it down by providing too little factual information for a curious child or for a teacher or parent to share with a young reader. Surely the resources of the publisher, the respected Cornell Lab of Ornithology, could be tapped to provide a child-friendly technical guide to the birds portrayed.
More a 21st-century meditation on selfhood than an encouragement to quiet observation. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-943645-03-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cornell Lab Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson.
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home.
This gently told story uses Max’s fascination with the moon’s ability to “tag along” where his family’s car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather’s constant love. Separating the two relatives is “a swervy-curvy road” that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, “past a field of sleeping cows,” around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then “[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky.” No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: “Granpa said it would always shine for me.” Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max’s excitement as “[s]lowly, very slowly, Max’s bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow.” Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape—sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle’s mirror—and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story’s lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece.
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-23342-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
A young naturalist’s delight.
A child longs to be a tree.
Eve, a young Black girl, lives on the edge of a forest in an unnamed African country where she can see baobab trees in the distance. She tells her parents she’d like to be a baobab tree, and when they reply that being a tree means being patient and taking care of animals and people, she insists that she’s up for the job—indeed she dubs herself Eco Girl as she sets out seed for the birds, looking after them the way the baobab does. To celebrate Eve’s birthday the next day, the family leaves to visit Grandma, who lives in the forest. On the big day, Eve welcomes a rainstorm, arms outstretched like a tree. When the rain stops, she and her family walk further into the forest while her Grandma leads, carrying a wrapped baobab seedling for Eve to plant in a very special place. This is a charming story that captures children’s curiosity about the natural world and their eagerness to be old enough to do the things they want to do. Illustrations drawn in thick black lines with beautiful washes of greens and punches of yellow, blue, and brown make for a warm and affectionate depiction of nature; readers will close this book eager to follow Eve’s worthy example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A young naturalist’s delight. (information on baobab and other trees) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2809-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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