Illustrations lift this warm tale of friendship
All the woodland animals are looking forward to Christmas except one.
After all, Little Bear will be hibernating through Christmas, so “what’s the point” in decorating or writing a letter to Santa, especially since “he’ll go straight past my door without leaving a present?” Little Bear, a small, fuzzy, blue creature with prodigious eyebrows, trudges home alone. Understanding his blues, his friends work together in secret to make him an Almost Christmas celebration. Big Deer takes Little Bear off for a walk while the others prepare his house, and when he sees what they’ve done, he is thrilled. The illustrations in this slight story, a French import with uncredited translation, are stronger than the plotting, which struggles to spread a thin storyline over its 40 pages. But it’s hard not to warm to these cartoony, anthropomorphic critters. In an early double-page spread they sit around a fire toasting marshmallows, Big Deer especially humorous in an ugly sweater with Rudolph on the front and a red hunter’s cap with ear flaps perched between his antlers. And the spread in which Little Bear’s friends greet him holding a “Merry Almost Christmas” banner with identically wide eyes and beaming smiles is hard not to love.
Illustrations lift this warm tale of friendship . (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-912006-85-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scribblers/Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
Delightful and engaging.
Preschoolers can follow a little brown mouse on its traveling adventures in this engaging color concept book.
As the book starts, a little mouse can be seen packing up her equally itty-bitty suitcase. Rhyming text with a wonderful read-aloud rhythm introduces readers to the little mouse’s street: “Red house / Blue house / Green house / Tree house! / See the tiny mouse / in her little brown house?” Clean-lined, colorful illustrations in Gómez’s signature style lead readers along: into a flower-filled garden; on a ride on a red city bus; in a potted windowsill plant attended by a child; on the curb where a group of people wait to cross a street; in an underwater scene with “one gigantic whale!”; and on a jolly ride that employs a string of vehicles. The little mouse is not mentioned again, making it easy for readers to forget it as they get caught up in the myriad delightful details of each illustration. No problem there. The book ends with “and did you spot that mouse?” This should send children back to the beginning, this time in earnest search of the little mouse and her itty-bitty suitcase. Should children need further enticement to read the book again, travel patches on the endpapers invite readers to match them to the relevant part in the story. The people depicted are diverse both racially as well as in physical ability.
Delightful and engaging. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-55381-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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