A gentle, enjoyable tale of interspecies trust and kindness, with some excitement to boot.
Siblings vacationing in the tropics rescue a wounded shark, who returns the favor, in this children’s book.
Sabrina and Stephen, sister and brother, have left the United States to accompany their marine scientist parents to a South Pacific island. Exploring the beach during a gorgeous pink sunrise, they discover an injured baby shark trapped in a tide pool and patch up the cut on his fin. The waterproof bandage will hold in the pool, but swimming in the ocean isn’t safe yet. For two months, Sabrina and Stephen feed the baby shark with fish and crabs until he grows too big for the pool and they return him to the open sea. At first, the shark stays near the beach, having grown to trust his human friends, but then eventually swims farther away. Later that summer, a tourist boat founders on a coral reef, its passengers clinging to the overturned hull. The siblings take their motorboat to help—but the splashing passengers attract sharks. Then, a great white shark appears and chases the others off. As the scar on his fin testifies, it’s the shark whom the kids saved. They lasso their helpful aquatic friend, who tows the tourists to land. In his latest children’s book, Pellico effectively updates the classic fable “Androcles and the Lion.” A shark’s gratitude is about as unlikely as a lion’s, but it’s a sweet story that teaches readers about caring for animals. It takes real work for Sabrina and Stephen to gather food and tend to the shark week after week, but they do it gladly. The tale finishes nicely with its dramatic rescue. Illustrating her third book with the author, Berry provides digital pictures that vividly convey the island’s natural beauty.
A gentle, enjoyable tale of interspecies trust and kindness, with some excitement to boot.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73391-301-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Moonbow Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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