Appropriating a sturdy ice floe for fishing, igloo roommates Nanook and Pryce, their faithful dog, Yukon, and three put-upon worms set about catching their daily fare. To a consistently upbeat rhyming text the two survive everything from sharks and commercial fishing boats to frigid temperatures and pelicans. “Breakfast break / Puffins pass / Giant wake / Bye-bye, bass.” Phrases rarely need more than three words and are accompanied by Day’s watercolors, which reveal frequent surprises (keep your eyes on the worms). The deadpan Nanook and Pryce, faces almost completely buried in their parka hoods and unmoving (or merely clueless) in the face of multiple foes and dangers, are ideal foils for the lively dog and riotous backgrounds. Perhaps it’s not a go-to source for anyone hoping for an accurate portrayal of the Native cultures of the North, as these heroes bear far more similarities to cartoons than actual people, but for readers who disregard that detail, it’s an amusing collaboration. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-133641-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2009
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
Utterly entrancing.
Fever dream meets modern fable in a kaleidoscopic numerological adventure.
Home sick with a fever, pale-skinned George is surprised when a mouse with something tiny (a bean?) in its mouth skitters across the kitchen floor. Mama captures the “little intruder,” and George puts it in an empty tank in his bedroom. By bedtime, poor George’s fever has risen to 102. “At precisely 1:02 A.M.,” a cricket wakes George, shrinks him to her size, and leads tiny George to meet a mother mouse. She explains that Father went to fetch the final ingredient for a 102-bean soup meant to heal their ailing little one, “but he’s not returned.” George retraces his steps and, regrown, apologizes to and releases Father. Waking at (you guessed it) 1:02 P.M. to 102-bean soup of his own, George recovers. “Perhaps you are asking, ‘Was it all a dream?’ ‘Was it all real?’” George, now 102 years old, holds both mementos and answers. Eccentric details drive this visual stunner, its scratchy, rainbow-hued spreads inked with 16 “multicolored (and multiscented) ballpoint pen[s]....used to completion.” Cordell’s exceptionally precise depictions of surreal imagery—a spider beaming over her 102 babies, the tiny protagonist fleeing a menacing owl—pairs with plainspoken text for a quirky, off-kilter adventure that’s somehow all the more enticing for its oddness. With strong nods to classics like Gulliver’s Travels and The Borrowers, this strange quest will captivate young readers.
Utterly entrancing. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9780316580953
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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