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ZOO QUEST

Name: ZOO QUEST
Author: Laurence Tysoe
ISBN: 978-1483673578

by Laurence Tysoe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2013

Though zoo-visit stories are popular with young readers, this trip isn’t so much fun.

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Tysoe (Farmer John’s Farm, 2013, etc.), in his latest picture book, introduces concepts of conservation through a class trip to the zoo.

At the zoo, a bold boy named Ben and his classmates visit elephants, lions, monkeys, hippos and other animals. Ben, who encourages his friends to be brave enough for the camel ride, gets himself into a bit of trouble in the bird house when a macaw gets tangled in his hair. As the day wears on and the children get tired, the book packs in animal facts, groupinginformation about giraffes, gorillas, rhinos and bears all on the same page. A final visit to the tigers—which includes a tactless joke about a child in a “push chair” (the image features a stroller, but the text implies a wheelchair) being “meals on wheels”—concludes the class trip. Throughout, the zookeepers and narrator offer science facts about the animals and explain conservation efforts needed to protect animals in the wild. But while most children will eagerly page through the images, the lengthy, awkward prose may thwart independent readers. The odd phrasing may stump parents reading to lap children as well: “Great chunks of meat were thrown to the lions who pounced on them roaring.” While the animals in the images are eye-catching, the children aren’t consistently drawn; sometimes they look quite young, which would reflect the text, but in one image, Ben appears middle-aged.Though sometimes strangely drawn, the humans are a diverse cast. The cover image, however, features two entirely different styles of art.

Though zoo-visit stories are popular with young readers, this trip isn’t so much fun.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1483673578

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Xlibris

Review Posted Online: June 4, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

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.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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SPOOKY POOKIE

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

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One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.

It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)