Mel’s and Mo’s seemingly silly professions make for an amusing approach to teamwork.
Identical twins prove the value of compromise.
Although Mel and Mo look alike, the identical twins have little in common. An escalation in contrast that begins with Mel’s preference for reading a book inside on a rainy day and Mo’s partiality to enjoying catching rays on a sunny day ultimately finds the twins disagreeing all the time and growing further apart. Clues in the patterned illustrations hint at the twins’ future—and separate—professions. Mel takes over the family umbrella business, while Mo runs away to join a circus, becoming a unicyclist with performing poodles on a high-wire act. Most picture books about twins would end here, celebrating their individuality, but Winstanley continues this story with another theme. After both twins find years of success, Theodora Tweedle’s Spectacular Raincoats and Roller Skates comes to town, and soon no one wants umbrellas or to watch a unicyclist. Mel fails to sell bigger umbrellas, and Mo’s increasingly elaborate tricks all end in falling. But one day when Mel visits Mo, who is struggling to stay balanced, the twins realize what the act needs—an umbrella! They discover they can combine their different strengths to make a strong team, and even invite Theodora to join them for a brand-new Roller-Skate Umbrella Circus. The twins, who are white, are not identified with gender-specific names, clothes, physical features, or pronouns.
Mel’s and Mo’s seemingly silly professions make for an amusing approach to teamwork. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77321-324-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet and far-from-cloying ode to love.
A mysterious love letter brightens the lives of three forest animals.
Appealing mixed-media illustrations made of ink, gouache, brush marker, and colored pencil combine with a timely message that one kind act can start a chain reaction of kindness. When Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel stumble in turn upon a formally composed love letter, each finds their life improved: Squirrel is less anxious, Bunny spreads goodwill through helpfulness, and Hedgehog is unusually cheerful. As the friends converge to try to discover who sent the letter, the real author appears in a (rather) convenient turn: a mouse who wrote an ode to the moon. Though disappointed that the letter was never meant for them, the friends reflect that the letter still made the world a happier place, making it a “wonderful mix-up.” Since there’s a lot of plot to follow, the book will best serve more-observant readers who are able to piece the narrative cleanly, but those older readers may also better appreciate the special little touches, such as the letter’s enticing, old-fashioned typewriter-style look, vignettes that capture small moments, or the subdued color palette that lends an elegant air. Drawn with minimalist, scribbly lines, the creatures achieve an invigorating balance between charming and spontaneous, with smudged lines that hint at layers of fur and simple, dotted facial expressions.
A sweet and far-from-cloying ode to love. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-274157-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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