A comforting, informative read even if the rhyme gets a bit carried away.
A rhyming description of many ways that animals, and people, carry and protect their young.
The text distinguishes itself by including references to a broad diversity of animals ranging from those the theme demands—a kangaroo with a joey in her pouch, for instance—to some less-expected ones, such as a manatee whose baby swims close beside her, nuzzling below her fin to nurse. On the other hand, the rhymes feel quite forced at times, which undermines the book’s success, as in the spread about the emperor penguin: “The mother lays a single egg. / Then she goes out to sea. / The father warms it on his feet. / How can this really be?” Accompanying expository text on facing pages provides factual information that serves the book well, though its staid presence underscores the bouncy, rhyming text’s flaws. The realistic art style better suits the expository text and is at turns compelling (the penguin scene is a high point) and overworked (the alligator spread leaves little rest for the eye). The animal spreads are framed with opening and closing pages of text and art depicting racially diverse human parents carrying and caring for their little ones. Backmatter includes a matching game, further information about the animals, curricular connections, and print and internet resources.
A comforting, informative read even if the rhyme gets a bit carried away. (Informational picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58469-592-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
A sweet picture book about forming family ties across oceans.
Sejal, her mother, and her grandmother are planning a trip to Kanyakumari, a city at the southernmost edge of India, where “three oceans meet.”
Sejal and Mommy live in the United States and Pati in Bangalore, so while Sejal has a lot in common with her grandmother, they are also very different. When they are packing for their trip, for example, Sejal packs shorts and T-shirts while her grandmother packs 9-yard saris typical of southern Brahmin households. Sejal speaks mostly English while her grandmother speaks a mix of English, Tamil, and Kannada. On their way to Kanyakumari, Sejal and her family get to experience iconic cities in Tamil Nadu. In the coastal city of Chennai, they eat dosa. In Coimbatore, they visit relatives over tea. In Madurai, they visit one of southern India’s most famous Hindu temples. In between these cities, they stop to sip tender coconut, shop at a typical market, and gaze at the countryside from the windows of a train. These sights are all realized in Sreenivasan’s sunny, affectionate illustrations, and they appear again on a closing map that traces the journey. Finally, they reach Kanyakumari, where they witness three oceans coming together just like three generations of their family. The book’s text is a celebration of intergenerational, border-crossing love, and the analogy between the three oceans and the three female protagonists works well.
A sweet picture book about forming family ties across oceans. (author’s note, illustrator’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4129-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
It’s a lucky thing indeed that this book is as great a joy to read aloud as it is.
One duck’s luck is another wolf’s disaster in this tale of tragedy averted.
Right from the start, Susan is convinced that she is by far the unluckiest of ducks, since the roller skates she ordered turned out to be two sizes too big. Just at that moment, however, a well-dressed wolf appears at her door, informing her that she’s the winner of a big beautiful soup pot. And so it goes: Each time Susan feels that her luck’s run out, the wolf reappears with some new (and edible) soup-related prize. Long before poor Susan does, kids will realize the price of the wolf’s gifts. Still, when the finale arrives, it turns out that each “unlucky” thing to happen to Susan helps her to survive another day. Sharp-eyed readers may notice a tiny bug responsible for at least two of Susan’s missing items, also aiding in her deliverance from the wolf’s hungry maw. The pure clean lines and limited palette lend a distinctly ’50s vibe to the proceedings, while the text makes for a charming storytime. Meanwhile, the narrative has shades of Keiko Kasza’s My Lucky Day (2003) and Mo Willems’ That Is NOT a Good Idea (2013). Few may be surprised by the resolution, but the familiarity is much of the story’s charm.
It’s a lucky thing indeed that this book is as great a joy to read aloud as it is. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593649770
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
