Skip.
A young beaver sets off on an adventure, but can his friend Akita and his hot air balloon help Beaver find the way home?
While the cover may evoke memories of Richard Scarry, the contents quickly disabuse readers of that comparison. Rhyming couplets that are frequently off in terms of meter, scansion, and rhyme sink this effort: “ ‘Do you live in this romantic and colorful love nest?’ / ‘The bowerbird built this, Akita, and his sweetheart is impressed.’ " The duo’s trip, outlined on a world map at the end, includes looks in cross-section at the homes of foxes, bees, harvest mice, storks, termites, weaverbirds, bowerbirds, hermit crabs, sand tilefish, and prairie dogs before Beaver finds his lodge. But the text is not the only flaw here: the illustrations are busy and sure to keep readers occupied, but the animals are distractingly anthropomorphized. The male bowerbird presents the female with a single red rose, with lit candles and a bottle of champagne on ice in the background. The walruses sprawl on the ice in T-shirts, muscle T’s and trucker hats, the lone female in a skimpy purple bikini; most are holding drink cans in their flippers. Several animals are seen smoking. While the depiction of the beehive is a rare and refreshing exception to the unfortunate wasps’-nest norm, this colony has elected to build its comb from tree branches rather than in a hollow trunk and will probably perish come winter. Expressions are largely wooden, especially Beaver’s and Akita’s.
Skip. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-60537-357-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
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
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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