An inspiring tale for inventors of all ages.
A young girl secretly invents a machine to impress her father.
Cleonardo wishes to be an inventor like her father, Geonardo, and grandfather Leonardo. While her father welds metal and hammers bolts, she sources her materials from nature. Cleo offers to help her father for their town’s annual Grand Festival of Inventions, but he does not take her suggestions seriously. In order to impress her father, Cleo decides create her own invention for the festival. With the help of her grandfather and his favorite tool, she secretly constructs her machine using materials found in the forest. Missing his daughter by his side, Geonardo invents his greatest piece, hoping to lure Cleo back to his workshop. On the day of the festival. Geonardo excitedly releases his invention, a mechanical bird, only to have it malfunction and hurtle toward the crowds. It’s up to Cleo to save her townspeople using her forest-inspired invention. GrandPré creates a spirited heroine with both her words and her illustrations. She effortlessly depicts Cleo’s unconventional imagination with the flowers woven through her wavy brown hair and her description of the forest Cleo loves. The story will inspire young readers to embrace their creativity, no matter their preferred medium. Cleo and her family appear to be white; their Renaissance-inflected town is cheerily diverse.
An inspiring tale for inventors of all ages. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-439-35764-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy.
Robo-parents Diode and Lugnut present daughter Cathode with a new little brother—who requires, unfortunately, some assembly.
Arriving in pieces from some mechanistic version of Ikea, little Flange turns out to be a cute but complicated tyke who immediately falls apart…and then rockets uncontrollably about the room after an overconfident uncle tinkers with his basic design. As a squad of helpline techies and bevies of neighbors bearing sludge cake and like treats roll in, the cluttered and increasingly crowded scene deteriorates into madcap chaos—until at last Cath, with help from Roomba-like robodog Sprocket, stages an intervention by whisking the hapless new arrival off to a backyard workshop for a proper assembly and software update. “You’re such a good big sister!” warbles her frazzled mom. Wiesner’s robots display his characteristic clean lines and even hues but endearingly look like vaguely anthropomorphic piles of random jet-engine parts and old vacuum cleaners loosely connected by joints of armored cable. They roll hither and thither through neatly squared-off panels and pages in infectiously comical dismay. Even the end’s domestic tranquility lasts only until Cathode spots the little box buried in the bigger one’s packing material: “TWINS!” (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.)
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-544-98731-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
Cuándo quieras un perro feliz, look no further.
A young Latine boy finally gets to rescue the dog of his dreams, but training can be a challenge in two languages.
Like many children, José has been dreaming of having a pet of his own, specifically un perro, a dog. Like any good owner, José promptly begins training his new canine companion but soon realizes his rescue mutt, Feliz, knows only words in English. This is a problem because in José’s home everyone speaks both Spanish and English. José and Feliz must rise to the challenge; fortunately, treats and snuggles are great motivators. The narrative uses Spanish words and phrases throughout (“perros blancos,” “¡Yo quiero este!” “¡Sientate!”), usually with English context clues for understanding. This is complex vocabulary for an early reader, and the shifting in phonics from English to Spanish will be challenging for true beginners; the book is best suited for intermediate to advanced readers in dual-language classrooms or homes. Much like Feliz, however, it is sure to find a loving (and bilingual) home. Cheerful illustrations complement the text, helping readers make sense of the narrative. While José and his mother are darker-skinned, his father and sister are lighter-skinned. (This review has been updated for accuracy.)
Cuándo quieras un perro feliz, look no further. (glossary of Spanish-English words) (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-52116-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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