by Mary Sullivan ; illustrated by Mary Sullivan ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2021
A slight story that runs on high but falls flat.
Three title characters in search of a friend.
A bespectacled, ponytailed White kid frantically informs two ducks and one moose who are busy playing cards that Goose is gone. In a state of great agitation, they set out in search on Big Moe, a tractor. On the road, two sheep and a donkey point to the right and send them through a gate. The increasingly befuddled moose, ducks, and kid perilously but unsuccessfully try to retrieve a key but are thwarted by angry wasps that “Sting! / Stang! / Stung!” the crew. Back home in the bathtub and then bed, the bovine and fowl commiserate with one another. But then thrills and happiness erupt as Goose—who has been surfing—returns home. Sharp-eyed readers will, of course, deduce where Goose has been all along from the illustration on the title page. The characters frequently speak in triplicate in the rhyming, dialogue-only text, as in “Run, run, run!” and employ sound effects as in “Baaa, Baaa, Neeeeeigh!” The rhythm and word repetition might appeal to emergent readers, but they will wonder why the kid gets involved in the first place and how it is that the ducks and moose don’t know about Goose’s clearly planned vacation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 55.8% of actual size.)
A slight story that runs on high but falls flat. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-31349-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More by Stephanie Gibeault
BOOK REVIEW
by Stephanie Gibeault ; illustrated by Mary Sullivan
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Leslie Kimmelman ; illustrated by Mary Sullivan
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
More by Tom Percival
BOOK REVIEW
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
BOOK REVIEW
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
BOOK REVIEW
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Anita Jeram ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 29, 2020
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back.
Little Nutbrown Hare ventures out into the wide world and comes back with a new companion in this sequel to Guess How Much I Love You (1994).
Big Nutbrown Hare is too busy, so after asking permission, Little Nutbrown Hare scampers off over the rolling meadow to play by himself. After discovering that neither his shadow nor his reflection make satisfactory playmates (“You’re only another me!”), Little Nutbrown comes to Cloudy Mountain…and meets “Someone real!” It’s a white bunny who introduces herself as Tipps. But a wonderful round of digging and building and chasing about reaches an unexpected end with a game of hide-and-seek, because both hares hide! After waiting a long time to be found, Little Nutbrown Hare hops on home in disappointment, wondering whether he’ll ever see Tipps again. As it turns out, it doesn’t take long to find out, since she has followed him. “Now, where on earth did she come from?” wonders Big Nutbrown. “Her name is Tipps,” Little Nutbrown proudly replies, “and she’s my friend.” Jeram’s spacious, pale-toned, naturalistic outdoor scenes create a properly idyllic setting for this cozy development in a tender child-caregiver relationship—which hasn’t lost a bit of its appealing intimacy in the more than 25 years since its first appearance. As in the first, Big Nutbrown Hare is ungendered, facilitating pleasingly flexible readings.
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1747-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sam McBratney
BOOK REVIEW
by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir
BOOK REVIEW
by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Anita Jeram
BOOK REVIEW
by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Anita Jeram
More About This Book
IN THE NEWS
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
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.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.