An occasionally charming but unextraordinary story of interspecies friendship.
Veronika and her dog Stewie have some fun adventures in the park in Scavone’s debut picture book.
Dog Stewie and Veronika are the best of friends. They love to go their local park to play and explore. They begin by catching butterflies and bumblebees, then encounter some new animal friends—namely fish, frogs, and ducks—as they relax by the lake. Veronika tells her pet, “Stewie, Stewie, I love you / and all the special things we do. Stewie, Stewie, you are my best friend, / I never want this day to end.” Unfortunately, though, the day must eventually end, as they head home after basking in the sunshine and frolicking about in nature. The author is heavy on the rhyming couplets but light on plot. The fish that startles Stewie and Veronika appears at first glance to be a welcome source of drama in the story, but the author moves on to briefly describe the other animals the pair meet instead. There is no dramatic tension to capture a young reader’s attention. However, a preschooler who enjoys calm, meandering slice-of-life stories would be drawn to this one. Scavone’s digital illustrations are sunny and saturated, though his skill in depicting animals, particularly cute Stewie, may not make up for the vacant, haunted look in Veronika’s eyes and the odd smile he gives her on every page.
An occasionally charming but unextraordinary story of interspecies friendship.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2023
ISBN: 978-1088117156
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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