Be sure to snuggle up to “the stuffed kind” of bears and share this book with future Scaredy Squirrel series fans.
A handy story for little adventurers curious about the outdoor world.
In this British import, Robinson breaks the wall between book and audience to advise readers about the precautions needed when exploring country life. Laid out as a blend of a field journal and pictorial narrative, the story presents the young main character, ready for an adventurous walk in the woods. As the backpack-toting, balaclava- and plaid-jacket–clad child strides confidently into the forest, the text suggests to readers, “You’d better make sure you know your bears.” A turn of the page reveals field-note illustrations, scientific names, and descriptions of black and brown bears. When the protagonist finally encounters not one, but two bears, readers will realize that it takes more than a guidebook to face your fears—and not everything is as dangerous as it might seem. With autumnal colors, Roberts guides readers’ eyes toward detailed and minimalistic illustrations of flora, fauna, and fungi characteristic of the deep woods. The freckle-faced child has dark skin and is of indeterminate gender. Graph-paper backgrounds, different fonts, and the silliness of the main character make this a quirky, appealing title.
Be sure to snuggle up to “the stuffed kind” of bears and share this book with future Scaredy Squirrel series fans. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68119-026-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rock on, Rocket! (Early reader. 5-7)
Into the woods….
Hills’ canine picture-book protagonist, Rocket, learned how to read in his first book and now stars in an early reader designed for kids learning to read, too. The story opens when Rocket is charmed by a pink butterfly that lands on his nose, and he follows it from spread to spread until it “flies into the forest.” In contrast with prior spreads that featured ample white, open space, the ensuing illustrations of the forest are dark and saturated. A full-bleed double-page spread shows Rocket small and low at the bottom of the verso with the forest before him: “The forest is very dark. The trees are very tall. Rocket does not want to go into the forest.” After some hemming and hawing, Rocket’s desire to find the butterfly overpowers his fear of the forest, and he walks among the tall trees, looking at pine cones, ferns, and, finally, the butterfly. Necessary redundancy between art and text befits the early-reader form and allows children to find cues in the art to support decoding of the controlled text, but Hills’ deep experience as a picture-book artist enriches his attention to framing, pacing, and layout. The result is an exemplary early reader in words and images, with a happy ending, to boot.
Rock on, Rocket! (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: July 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-7347-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else.
A young entrepreneur is ready to sell homemade lemonade, but everyone else has already staked out the best spots.
The nameless narrator rolls a colorful stand through the diverse city neighborhood and just keeps on going until reaching the countryside. Pushing it up a hill, the kid loses control, and the tall stand with the lemon on top goes careening through the woods until it finally stops near a river. Unexpectedly, a customer arrives! The kid serves up, and then a steady stream of customers float by: an octopus, two alligators, a sea monster, a diver in an old-fashioned helmet, and more. The kid needs to make more lemonade on the spot. After selling out and trudging home, the kid sleeps through the night dreaming about a future riverside lemonade empire. Careful readers will spot many reminders of the adventure in the kid’s bedroom. A toy octopus’s tentacles overflow from a chest, a diver’s helmet sits on the floor, pictures of sea animals and boats adorn the walls. The lines between reality and fantasy blur…but the tip jar is full. Bright cartoon illustrations are full of funny details (the lemonade-stand sign smiles and frowns expressively), and the alliterative text begs to be read aloud: “I sat for a long while, feeling terrible as a turnip,” the kid grumps at one point. The narrator has textured black hair and a ruddy complexion. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2828-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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