Vibrant, layered illustrations in lush woodland colors outshine a simplistic storyline.
Rainbow Fish creator Pfister moves from sea to forest to create another book in signature soft-edged watercolors. No shimmers this time.
The first two-page spread captures an idyllic wildflower scene in which “all was quiet and all was still.” But with a page turn, a crisis explodes. Readers come face to face with an enormous illustration of a horrified squirrel from whom “there came a scream so shrill / That all the trees quaked and quivered, / And all the animals shook and shivered.” The catastrophe? The squirrel’s hazelnuts have disappeared. Determined to find the thief, the squirrel visits a mole, mouse, rabbit, hamster (oddly, living loose in the European woods), and fox and accuses each of stealing his hazelnuts. The first four each deny being the thief and reply with a refrain that young listeners can chime in on: “I know for a fact it isn’t me.” Unsurprisingly, the fox threatens to eat the squirrel. With his tummy rumbling, the despairing squirrel heads home only to discover the missing hazelnuts under fallen leaves where he must have stored them. Ecstatic, the squirrel shares his news with his heretofore suspects, but rather than sharing his joy, they have “a different feeling.” In a rushed and not particularly satisfying ending, the squirrel apologizes and then eats some hazelnuts.
Vibrant, layered illustrations in lush woodland colors outshine a simplistic storyline. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4382-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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