An adventurous little girl explores the natural world around her with her animal friends.
Three stories make up this sweet, accessible picture book. The stories are separated by yellow pages, making it easy for children to return to their favorite of the three. The cheery watercolors and simply drawn figures will appeal to young children. Lucy, a little white girl with rosy cheeks, heads outdoors for a picnic in the first story, “The Snack.” She finds a tree to sit in and invites four friends, Marcel the mouse, Henry the rabbit, Dot the turtle, and Adrian the snail, to join her. Map in hand, Lucy and her friends set out to find a treasure in “The Treasure Hunt,” counting steps as they go. In the last story, “The Hatchlings,” the friends help three little birds find their way in the world. Lucy figures prominently on nearly every page, surrounded by her smiling, rosy-cheeked friends. A landscape layout of oblong illustrations, gently rounded at the corners, guides readers through Lucy’s adventures as she confidently strides across the pages. The text (in uncredited translation) is simple but wry, offering chuckles all the way through. A frontispiece map not unlike Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood shows all of the essential spots where the action takes place.
A charming book about the joy of sharing with friends, with the added benefit of reinforcing counting skills. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77138-662-3
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Summertime with all its pleasures is coming to an end, and school will soon begin again. What challenges will the new school year bring for Llama?
Told in a by-now-trademark rhyming verse style and accompanied by adorable, cheerful oil paint, colored pencil, and oil pastel illustrations, this story finds Llama taking pleasure in all the fun that summer brings—and hoping it will never be over. “Fishing, hiking, slip and slide. / Backyard camping, picnic time.” But as sure as one season follows another, fall is on its way and school will be starting again. Mamma Llama takes Llama shopping for new school supplies, but the expression on little Llama’s face makes it clear that preparing to return to school is anything but fun. Soon, the first day of school comes, and Llama is ready. There are so many rules: “Be on time. / Don’t push or shove. Stand in line. / Do not shout. Raise your hand.” “Lunch in cubbies. Coats on hooks.” But these are seasoned students, and they take it in stride. All except for one: A young rhino is new and feeling scared. Llama knows just what to do, sharing crayons and showing the newcomer how to glue. Soon the rhino is part of the gang. As is characteristic of the series, this is one more situation familiar to many a young child solved in sweet Llama style. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Another solid addition to the beloved series. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35244-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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