written and illustrated by Lissi Kaplan ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
A charmingly illustrated, touching story of growth and maturity that’s appropriate for young children, although its...
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In Kaplan’s (The Power of a Teacup, 2003) children’s book, a young wren learns to fly, sing, and build a family, finding independence, faith, love, and the wisdom of the ancients in the process.
Little Feather gets his name because he’s very tiny, even for a wren. In spite of his size, however, the young fledgling has an adventurous spirit and is impatient to find out how to fly and sing as he listens to Momma Bird warble the songs of his grandfathers’ adventures. As he matures, he achieves his goals with the help of a number of wren friends who serve as mentors and spiritual guides. Lady Dry Feather, for example, helps him gain the confidence to fly when he’s “heavy with doubt.” Tender Wing helps him to overcome his frustration with being unable to sing so that he can perform a mating song that attracts Little Sweet Feather, with whom he later makes a nest to welcome their child, Little Pink Feather. Still, Little Feather feels an urgency to find something more, so he visits the “ancestor tree,” where an owl named Wise Wing offers the most important advice of all: “We might not always feel right, but we need never be alone.” In a preface, Kaplan describes her inspiration for this work—a moment that appears in the text as well, in a scene in which Little Feather’s tapping at a window comforts a grieving woman. This book’s gentle story, accompanied by the author’s own watercolor illustrations, tells of the fears and exhilarations of growing up, and it may be used to introduce young children to the concepts of self-reliance, responsibility, and the importance of friends and family. Some advice that Little Feather receives is fairly vague, and Kaplan’s poetic structure is a bit unusual, with rhymes appearing and disappearing without apparent regularity. Overall, though, this is an effectively sweet tale.
A charmingly illustrated, touching story of growth and maturity that’s appropriate for young children, although its allegories may also provide inspiration to adult readers.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-692-75463-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little Finch Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996
A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
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