A slim storyline is enhanced by the detailed illustrations and the absurd behavior of adults who need a lesson in listening.
An elephant comes to play, but none of the adults realizes that anything is unusual.
A little white girl has just moved into a new house. When a small elephant shows up, the girl tries to tell her mom, dad, and grandmother, but the distracted grown-ups believe she must be the girl next door and just keep repeating the titular phrase, “Ella WHO?” Although this is a one-joke story, the digital illustrations, softer in color and more delicate than many done in this medium, are amusing. When dad reaches for a wrench as he fixes the shower, the elephant quite naturally hands it to him with her trunk. The elephant reads a book that looks suspiciously like David McKee’s Elmer. Finally, a black man wearing a uniform with the word “sanctuary” shows up, looking for an elephant. The adults he queries tell him they haven’t seen one, but when the little girl reads the “missing” flier he leaves behind, she uses the facts to verify the elephant’s identity. She calls Fiona by name, confirms that the elephant loves apples but dislikes green beans, and phones the man to pick up the elephant. Her family remains oblivious to the day’s events. They are each busy in the living room as the little girl spots yet another animal in their front yard—a baboon, another escapee from the wild animal sanctuary down the street.
A slim storyline is enhanced by the detailed illustrations and the absurd behavior of adults who need a lesson in listening. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1904-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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