by Michael Hall ; illustrated by Michael Hall ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2014
Suspenseful and entertaining; all-around great fun.
Get ready for some hilarity and hijinks as five ants discover what’s really outside their stump home in this die-cut offering from Hall.
Rumbles awaken a handful of carpenter ants, and the debate begins. One ant believes an aardvark awaits, and three others follow along. But the fifth ant? He industriously drills a hole. Orange light filters in, and the alarmist proclaims it to be an orange aardvark. More holes, colors and silliness ensue, as the naysayer’s hypotheses run wild: “It’s a pajama-wearing, ketchup-carrying orange aardvark….” Five die-cut peepholes later, the levelheaded ant—and readers (if not reduced to giggles)—is ready to make a guess. As purple light floods in, four ants fly out to see a rainbow, while the pessimist remains, to further comedic effect. Digitally collaged illustrations, done with appealing, primary splashes of color, allow for easy identification of characters and colors. (The ants have color-coded hard hats.) Hall uses the die-cuts to great effect, playfully piquing the curiosity of readers while revealing both the real and the ridiculous.
Suspenseful and entertaining; all-around great fun. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: April 22, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-225206-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Michael Hall
BOOK REVIEW
by Michael Hall ; illustrated by Michael Hall
BOOK REVIEW
by Michael Hall ; illustrated by Michael Hall
BOOK REVIEW
by Michael Hall ; illustrated by Michael Hall
by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
Share your opinion of this book
More by Hoda Kotb
BOOK REVIEW
by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
© 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.