by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Marla Frazee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2022
Perfectly plotted and visually superb.
A diminutive circus high diver loses his nerve.
Behold! Rendered entirely in pencil on transparent film and accompanied by hand-lettered text, this tour de force of visual storytelling features the Great Zapfino, an adorable little man with a pale cue-ball head, huge ears, and a striped bathing outfit. “Prepare to gasp as Zapfino dives ten terrifying stories through the air, landing on a tiny trampoline!” the ringmaster announces as Zapfino enters the circus tent and climbs a ladder to a diving board. Frazee’s grayscale spreads, which simultaneously capture the petrifying perspective and the details of Zapfino’s body language and expressions, leave readers unsurprised when Zapfino bolts from the tent in panic. The remainder of the book is almost wordless and utterly charming; a combination of full-page compositions and vignette panels present Zapfino’s new life as an elevator operator in an art deco high-rise by the beach. It’s a simple life: He rides the elevator (marvelous pages full of rectangles tell the stories of the various residents he encounters), makes toast, and gazes at the night sky. Until one day, the toaster malfunctions and he must evacuate via window. And there, 10 stories down, firefighters are holding a trampoline outstretched, waiting for him to jump. Behold! The Great Zapfino comes full circle, conquering his fear and illuminating the greatness within.
Perfectly plotted and visually superb. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1154-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2024
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static.
In his latest outing, Bear and his pals go in search of eggs.
Bear “lumbers with his friends through the Strawberry Vale.” Raven finds a nest; climbing up, “The bear finds eggs!”: a refrain that appears throughout. Instead of eating the robin’s eggs, however, Bear leaves a gift of dried berries in the nest for the “soon-to-be-chicks.” Next, the friends find 10 mallard eggs (as bright blue as the robin’s), and Bear leaves sunflower seeds. Then the wail of Mama Meadowlark, whose bright yellow undercarriage strikes a warm golden note, leads them to promise to find her lost eggs. With his friends’ assistance, Bear finds one, and they decide to paint them “so they aren’t lost again.” Another is discovered, painted, and placed in Hare’s basket. After hours of persistent searching, Bear suddenly spots the remaining two eggs “in a small patch of clover.” Before they can return these eggs, the chicks hatch and rejoin their mother. Back at his lair, Bear, with his troupe, is visited by all 17 chicks and the robin, mallard, and meadowlark moms: “And the bear finds friends!” Though this sweet spring tale centers on finding and painting eggs, it makes no overt references to Easter. The soft green and blue acrylics, predictable rhymes, and rolling rhythm make this series installment another low-key natural read-aloud.
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936552
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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