A simple but discussionworthy “paw-rable” about the value of taking small steps toward the unknown.
A sheltered kitty confronts the outside world.
House cat Olivia is a “fearless explorer,” hunting, traveling to the “top of the world” (really the top of the closet), and more…all from the comfort of her home. The dryly humorous text conveys that Olivia lives a “demanding” existence; the artwork, meanwhile, shows the feline napping and playing with stuffed toys. Olivia’s indoor life is also “filled with danger,” namely, a playful child who likes to grab her tail. When Olivia tumbles out of a window while swatting a fly, her supposed bravery is put to the test. A dog scares her up a tree, and she must take a literal leap of faith to save herself. The story can be used to spur conversations about what constitutes courage and whether leaving one’s comfort zone is worth the risks. Olivia’s creative approach to her seemingly narrow existence might resonate with families who have spent considerable time in pandemic isolation and will help readers understand that introverts and other solitary types can have rich inner worlds. It is unclear if the story’s resolution should encourage readers to step outside of their preferred environments or stick with the familiar. The tempera-and-pastel illustrations, rendered in a flat, naïve art style and filled with clever foreshadowing, might make up for the unresolved existential dilemma. Olivia belongs to a brown-skinned family whose faces remain hidden throughout. (This picture book was reviewed digitally.)
A simple but discussionworthy “paw-rable” about the value of taking small steps toward the unknown. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79720-442-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
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