Not since The Giving Tree has self-sacrifice been so celebrated.
Nut, a mouse, and Bolt, a donkey, enjoy a beautiful friendship. Kind of.
Readers will be forgiven for thinking that it is a very one-sided one, as Nut seems to be doing all the work. She grooms him, brings food (carrots and sugar cubes), entertains him, and otherwise apparently sees to his every whim. De Cock places her line-and-watercolor characters artfully on white space, giving them just a few props to heighten the ludicrousness of the situation. Nut perches at the top of a ladder that’s braced against Bolt’s nose, industriously brushing away at the donkey’s teeth in one picture; in another, tiny Nut strains to hold a shade-granting branch above the slumbering ass. The list of Nut’s duties is occasionally punctuated by a refrain: “real friends would do anything for each other!” After pages of murine selflessness, Nut doesn’t seem to be demonstrating any impatience, but readers will be, and the text senses this: “but what does Bolt do for Nut?” A close-up of the donkey’s ear on a moonlit night finds Nut curled up inside, fast asleep. She looks quite snug, but really, is this friendship? It’s a pity de Cock genders her characters as she does, as the story feels a lot like a 1950s marriage in which the wife goes to extraordinary measures to keep her husband comfortable in exchange for a place to live.
Not since The Giving Tree has self-sacrifice been so celebrated. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-55455-364-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
A powerful affirmation for all dads—the good, the flawed, and those doing the best they can.
Dedicating his latest to “caregivers who give what they never got,” Caldecott Honor winner Robinson explores complicated feelings around fatherhood.
From the outset, the book appears to be a standard-issue Father’s Day offering, pairing brief, loving sentiments with images of animals. But it soon becomes clear that Robinson has crafted something much more complex. A frog with tadpoles nestled atop his back (“Dad is here”) is followed by an illustration of an owl leaving the nest (“Dad had to go away”). More contrasts are presented: a seahorse keeping his offspring safe in his pouch (“Dad holds on tight”), two shark pups swimming away from their frenzied-looking patriarch (“Dad need lots of space”). “Dad lets you down and makes mistakes” (a porcupine accidentally jabs his little one), but “Dad picks you up and makes you feel safe” (a lion snuggles his cub). And the human fathers we meet next—diverse in skin tone and ability—are equally multifaceted. Robinson outdoes himself, his bold and richly textured paint and collage artwork popping against the background. His artwork is rife with subtleties for careful readers—for instance, the look of uncertainty in the eyes of the gorilla father described as “strong.” For all its simplicity, this colorful book is laden with meaning, depicting fathers as vulnerable, imperfect, gentle, and empathetic—in a word, deeply human.
A powerful affirmation for all dads—the good, the flawed, and those doing the best they can. (more information on the animals presented) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781250397041
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end.
Something is preventing Owl from falling asleep.
Owl leans back against his white pillow and headboard. “Squeek!” says something underneath the bed. Owl’s never heard that sound before, so he fastens his pink bathrobe and answers the front door. Nobody. It must be the wind; back to bed. Bidding himself goodnight, he climbs into bed—and hears the noise again. Time after time, he pops out of bed seeking the squeaker. Is it in the cupboard? He empties the shelves. Under the floor? He pulls up his floorboards. As Owl’s actions ratchet up—he destroys the roof and smashes the walls, all in search of the squeak—so does his anxiety. Not until he hunkers down in bed under the night sky (his bed is now outdoors, because the house’s roof and walls are gone), frantically clutching his pillow, does he see what readers have seen all along: a small, gray mouse. In simple illustrations with black outlines, textured coloring, and foreshortened perspective, Pizzoli plays mischievously with mouse placement. Sometimes the mouse is behind Owl or just out of his sightline; other times, the mouse is on a solid, orange-colored page across the spread from Owl, which removes him from Owl’s scene in a rather postmodern manner. Is the mouse toying with Owl? Who knows?
A funny tale about stress and an ever upping ante, with a comforting end. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-1275-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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