An inspiring tale of renowned Canadian artist Emily Carr, set in her childhood.
Basing her tale on a story written by Carr called “White Currants,” Soloy uses poetic, onomatopoeic language to present a glimpse of the young Emily Carr and to reveal how Carr’s childhood perception of the grandeur of the natural world inspired her artistic vision. It’s an impressive feat to deliver a story about connection with the natural world as seen by an artistic eye without lapsing into overromanticized expression or illustration, but Soloy succeeds. Young Emily, exploring the yard outside her home one day, sits down and begins to experience the ebb, flow, and intimate nature of the natural world. Soloy anthropomorphizes this by introducing “Wild,” an anthropomorphic wolflike creature who shows Emily (who calls herself “Small”) the personal connection Emily has with the world. It’s an altogether mystical yet accessibly grounded story. The illustrations deftly bring readers’ focus to the infinite hues of green in both the light and shadow of nature as well as help to orchestrate the emotional impact of the text via placement and design. The whimsically rendered Emily captures the fierce eyebrows and stubborn determination that made the real Carr persevere in her artistic career despite years of art-world indifference. A concluding note gives brief biographical details about Carr, with an emphasis on her perseverance.
An altogether accomplished presentation. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6606-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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An exercise of spatial thinking through a snowy forest.
Camilla the warthog collects maps. Maps of stars, New York, even the London Tube. She even owns an ancient map of her forest. Unfortunately for her, she believes all lands have been explored and there is nothing new to chart. However, with a snowy morning comes a new opportunity. When her hedgehog neighbor, Parsley, asks for her help in finding the creek, Camilla quivers with excitement when she realizes the snow-covered land “is uncharted territory.” With all landmarks covered in snow, Camilla and Parsley must use their spatial-reasoning skills and a compass to find a new way to the creek. Their trailblazing journey proves a challenge as they keep bumping into trees, rocks, and walls. But when they find the creek, Camilla will have all the information and tools ready to draw out a new map, to break out in case of another snowfall. Wood’s delightful illustrations and Dillemuth’s expertise in the matter engage readers in the woodland creatures’ adventures. In addition, Dillemuth, who holds a doctorate in geography, provides activities in the backmatter for parents and caregivers to help children develop their own spatial-reasoning skills, such as sketching and reading maps or using cardinal directions.
An adorable adventure in cartography. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3033-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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