A clever story set in Africa with a likable hero and a strong message about helping others.
A wheelchair-bound boy and his brother rescue a lion cub in this cadenced debut picture book.
Nick lives in Addis Ababa, East Africa, with his mom, dad, brother, and a pet lion. Although Nick is pictured in a wheelchair, the text doesn’t immediately call attention to this. Instead, he is shown enjoying things that other kids might like, including reading, swimming, and waterskiing. “How did Nick get a pet lion?” the text asks, moving from the introduction into the heart of the story. The lost cub found Nick’s mom sleeping on the beach; after bringing the small creature, Sandy, home, the whole family helps to take care of her. But the next morning, Sandy gets into trouble again, and Nick and his brother, Jason, have to rescue the cub from being stranded on a hippo’s back. They take the boat out toward Sandy, and Nick, the expert swimmer, safely hauls the cub back to the boat. Roussos, a motivational speaker who, like Nick, grew up in East Africa and has cerebral palsy, presents the hero’s can-do attitude lucidly and in a way that kids should admire. The repeated refrain “There’s only one thing to do when,” followed by someone being lost, scared, hungry, or in trouble, with the repeated answer, “Help!,” will give young readers plenty of opportunities to chime in with parents reading aloud. Marcus-Bause’s simplistic cartoon illustrations feature only small bursts of color, such as Nick’s superhero cape or the sun’s golden rays. The sun, moon, and stars, however, are also drawn as characters reacting to the story, as are the recurring pelicans, giving a weirdly fantastic sense to the illustrations that doesn’t appear in the text. These odd pictures distract from the tale rather than supporting it. The book offers two distinct sections: Nick’s introduction, which features short, easy-to-read sentences, and Sandy’s rescue, which has the repeated refrain and longer blocks of text. A helpful author’s note reminds children not to approach wild animals and assures readers that the Roussos family’s real-life pet lion was fostered with a wildlife organization so she could learn how to survive on her own. The author’s message of assisting others comes through clearly, and his portrait of a skillful wheelchair-bound protagonist resonates powerfully.
A clever story set in Africa with a likable hero and a strong message about helping others.Pub Date: June 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4840-8267-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike.
Even robot cats have a mind of their own.
All 12-year-old Canadian Lacey Chu’s ever wanted was to become a companioneer like her idol, Monica Chan, co-founder of the largest tech firm in North America, Moncha Corp., and mastermind behind the baku. Bakus, “robotic pets with all the features of a smartphone,” revolutionized society and how people interact with technology. As a companioneer, Lacey could work on bakus: designing, innovating, and building. When she receives a grant rejection from Profectus Academy of Science and Technology, a school that guarantees employment at Moncha Corp., she’s devastated. A happenstance salvaging of a mangled cat baku might just change the game. Suddenly, Lacey’s got an in with Profectus and is one step closer to her dream. Jinx, however, is not quite like the other bakus—he’s a wild cat that does things without commands. Together with Jinx, Lacey will have to navigate competitive classmates and unsettling corporate secrets. McCulloch effectively strikes a balance between worldbuilding and action. High-stakes baku battles demonstrate the emotional bond between (robotic) pet and owner. Readers will also connect to the relationships the Asian girl forges with her diverse classmates, including a rivalry with Carter (a white boy who’s the son of Moncha’s other co-founder, Eric Smith), a burgeoning crush on student Tobias, who’s black, and evolving friendships new and old. While some mysteries are solved, a cliffhanger ending raises even more for the next installment.
A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike. (Science fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8374-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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