Still, though the bounce of Wright's verse is welcome, the story is all too slender; for truly satisfying ursine...
Big Bear gets in all kinds of trouble when he takes credit for the work of the wind.
The leaves are burnished gold and orange, birds fill the sky and Big Bear lets out an enormous sneeze. Coincidentally, this occurs just when the wind whirls the leaves right off the trees. Even though the wind tries to explain, Bear thinks that he's responsible and tries to nail the leaves back on. Further up the hill is an apple tree, where the same thing happens: "Just as Big Bear let out a sneeze, / branches shook in a very strong breeze." A flock of geese is resting on the lake, and another gust (simultaneous with a Bear sneeze) sends them flapping away. When Bear claims credit for this as well, the wind loses his temper and pairs his loudest declaration with his strongest gale force: "I do it all! I'm the autumn breeze!" Bear listens and, after scratching his head, says, "You could have told me before," and retires for the winter. Hillebrand's mixed-media illustrations use a bright and appealing palette; his evocation of the wind is particularly charming.
Still, though the bounce of Wright's verse is welcome, the story is all too slender; for truly satisfying ursine braggadocio, try How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, by Joseph and James Bruchac, illustrated by José Aruego and Ariane Dewey (2001). (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5959-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
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