by Laura Gehl ; illustrated by Paco Sordo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018
Competent but profoundly uninspiring. (Picture book. 3-7)
When Zogby, a big, brown bear, applies for a job as delivery bear—a job he has wanted since he was a “tiny cub”—the hiring manager, a small, purple rabbit, says, “You just don’t have the Fluffy Tail Cookies look.”
It is striking for a picture book to open with this sort of reference; the manager seems to be outright discriminating against Zogby. Still, Zogby pleads for a chance, and the manager gives him a one-day trial. His clients are terrified of Zogby once they see him: Mrs. Rabbit and Mr. Beaver each scream, “AAHHHHH!!” upon opening their doors. Zogby alters his appearance after these rejections, donning bunny ears and a fluffy tail. He finally reminds himself that he is “special” and makes up a song to go along with his newfound confidence: “I am big, and I am hairy! / But I promise, I’m not scary!” Mrs. Mole and Mr. Porcupine then accept his cookie deliveries with grace and hospitality. It’s a peculiar resolution to an awkward book: The animals in this story are prejudiced against Zogby’s appearance, but it is up to Zogby to ameliorate their fears. The burden, it seems, lies with the oppressed rather than the oppressor, making this a very unprogressive tale. Sordo’s bright, cartoonish illustrations are zippy but can’t mitigate its central flaw.
Competent but profoundly uninspiring. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-1532-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 21, 2012
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
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New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
Caldecott Honor Book
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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