Well-worn tropes but a charming adventure story with a resourceful heroine.
In this illustrated chapter book for middle-grade readers, a brave little sparrow agrees to go on a dangerous journey and free the fairy queen from her evil hawk captor.
Felicity is an ordinary brown sparrow who loves to read. She was taught by Augustus, an ivory-billed woodpecker, who took care of Felicity after a hawk killed her parents. One day, a tiny man dressed in leaves—a fairy named Colin, it turns out—shows up at Felicity’s nest, looking for the woodpecker, who’s needed by the fairy king. But Augustus hasn’t been around, and no one knows where he is. As Colin leaves in disappointment, he’s attacked by a hawk, Felicity warning him just in time (though his wings are damaged). A kind soul, Felicity offers to fly Colin home to the Wildwood. There, she learns that Colin is the son of King Taron and that his mother, Queen Lilia, has been imprisoned by evil sorcerer Grak, called the Night Hawk. An enchantment protects his lair from fairies; birds can enter, but getting past the stone door requires reading the password written there (fortunately, Augustus is literate, as is Felicity). Though frightened, Felicity takes on the quest to brave Grak’s enchantments and rescue Queen Lilia, an adventure that will take strength, smarts, and determination. Evans (The Shores of Bountiful, 2013, etc.) presents an appealing heroine in shy but courageous Felicity, who puzzles things out intelligently while taking bold risks. The fairyland setting is well-drawn, with notable details like the fairy guards’ rose-thorn spears. Many elements of the story feel familiar: the ordinary young person who has something special; the heroine who overcomes tragedy; a puzzle in three parts; the there-and-back-again structure. Also, while Evans generally portrays a sparrow’s point of view well, she can be inconsistent: why would a bird who has no word for automobile (“featherless two-foot’s cart”) be able to correctly name “telephone wire”? Overall, though, Felicity makes an appealing character; youngsters who love to read will feel especially drawn to her.
Well-worn tropes but a charming adventure story with a resourceful heroine.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-692-30691-8
Page Count: 184
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 22, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
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)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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