A robin travels alone for many miles to reach his mate by Christmas.
In beautifully poetic language, Morpurgo portrays the urgency of the bird’s longing to return home. The robin encounters dangers along his migration path, from rain, snow, and stormy seas to a narrow escape from a hawk. Recounting the robin’s journey in first-person verse casts the bird’s voice in a counterpoint to lovely illustrations of a landscape often shown literally from a bird’s-eye view. Repetition of words and motifs echo the rhythm of his wings and heartbeat in a sometimes-plaintive voice: “Dream of home, think only of her, / Waiting for me, looking for me, longing for me. / Beat, my wings, beat faster. / Easy, my heart, go steady. / Steady.” The robin joins a flock of thrushes “over sun-dancing sea” before, suddenly lost in a dense fog, the robin spies a fishing boat to rest on. Choppy waves and the little bird’s disorientation are expertly captured in images that break from the pattern, the action slowing down as he reaches the boat, then looks up to see a person looming over him. Finally warm, fed, and rested, he’s released by friendly hands over a calm sea to finish his journey. Migration information at the beginning explains that the Scandinavian robin migrates south to Britain around Christmastime.
A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0042-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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Graziano tells the story of his TikTok-famous pug, Noodle.
Noodle is a silly, stubborn old pug who likes walks and snacks. “He’s a pug who knows what he wants.” Jonathan, his light-skinned owner, loves taking Noodle for walks and sharing snacks—they are a perfect pair. But one day, when it’s time for a walk, Noodle just lies in his dog bed. Even when Jonathan tries to make Noodle sit up, Noodle flops back down. “It’s like he doesn’t have bones!” says Jonathan. Noodle doesn’t seem sick—he just wants snacks and to stay in bed. Finally, Jonathan asks if Noodle would just like to snuggle instead and receives a strong affirmative from the drowsy pug. Together Noodle and his human enjoy a relaxing “no bones day” and learn an important lesson about rest and why it matters for silly, stubborn old pugs and for the humans who love them, too. Many may already be familiar with Noodle through his TikTok videos (if Noodle remains standing when Graziano lifts him, it’s a “bones day”; among Noodle’s followers, a “no bones day” has come to mean a day for self-care and taking it easy). However, this story stands alone and will likely create new fans for a long time to come. Hand-drawn and painted digitally, Tavis’ illustrations rely on a muted palette and rounded images, depicting an appropriately cozy world. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A perfect story to enjoy on a “no bones day.” (author's note) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66592-710-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING
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Hee haw.
32
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The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 29, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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