Rich visuals evoke the parts of creative play that are hard for children to describe.
A boy’s drab verbal narrative contrasts with action-packed illustrations of fantastic adventures.
A small boy reading a book casts a horned shadow on his bedroom wall; he startles when his mother enters and asks, in the tradition of parents everywhere, what he did today. The White child narrator’s rote recitation, though lengthy, is empty of particularities: He grabbed his lunch, almost forgot his book bag, and then spent a day in school, played with friends, went home, and ate dinner. Author/illustrator Molinet’s accompanying images tell a far richer story packed with fantasies of jungle exploration, Indiana Jones–style escapes, a glass-domed space school where tentacled aliens teach classes to spacesuit-clad children, and a home life where Viking lord Dad roasts meat on a spit and serves it in front of a roaring castle fire. Best friend Jake, who’s Black, and Emily, who’s White, accompany our protagonist. Many of the fantasies are a tad overworked, with formulaic safari hats and swords-and-sorcery medieval props made interesting via the artwork’s detail and style. Scratchy crosshatched lines, creative composition, and digital painting in muted warm tones evoke indie comics of the early 1990s, and there is plenty of interest and light humor; a pickup game of football, for instance, becomes a battle between Vikings and armored knights over a startled live pig. Constant narration occasionally distracts from the images; readers may wish that parts of the book were textless to give more room to interpretation.
Rich visuals evoke the parts of creative play that are hard for children to describe.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73335-484-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Thanks to parrot-toting Braidbeard and his gloriously disreputable crew, a lad discovers the ups and downs of a pirate’s life in this rousing mini-epic. His mom and dad busy on another part of the beach, young Jeremy happily joins a band of hook-handed, eye-patched, snaggle-toothed pirates aboard their ship, learning pirate table manners (none), enjoying a game of nautical soccer until a shark eats the ball, then happily retiring without having to brush teeth, or even don pajamas. But then Jeremy learns that pirates don’t get tucked in, or get bedtime stories, and as for good night kisses—Avast! Worse yet, no one offers comfort when a storm hits. So, giving over the pirate’s life, Jeremy shows the crew where to bury its treasure (his backyard), and bids them goodbye. Shannon outfits Braidbeard’s leering, pop-eyed lot in ragged but colorful pirate dress, and gives his young ruffian-in-training a belt and bandanna to match. This isn’t likely to turn pirate wannabees into landlubbers, but it will inspire a chorus of yo-ho-hos. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-15-201848-4
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2003
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