An engaging animal tale that’s sweetly illustrated.
In this children’s book, Kenyan villagers concoct different plans to stop a sleepwalking elephant from eating all their cabbages.
Illustrated in the graphic style of animated films, Williams’ story takes place in a Kenyan village of dark-skinned humans and anthropomorphic animals. One of the animals is Elephant, a hard worker whose hunger unfortunately sends him sleepwalking at night to devour more and more cabbages (“While still in a deep sleep, with his eyes still shut, Elephant got up, walked out of his hut and lumbered towards the cabbage field. He ate one cabbage and returned to his hut—all with his eyes still shut!”). The tale’s prose lacks punch and the repetition of Elephant sleepwalking each night and the other animals making doomed plans to stop him is more tiresome than inviting (“The next morning, no one—not even Elephant—noticed that one cabbage was missing from the field” and later: “No one—not even Elephant—noticed that two cabbages were missing from the field”). But Williams and illustrator Ezeokeke have worked cleverly to integrate the words and pictures and catch readers’ eyes, as in the page-splitting transition from night to day and the squeezing of text into the shape of a baobab tree. Ezeokeke employs orange, earthy colors to capture the haze of mythology and the spirit of the African savanna. The humans, while playing little part in the action, are colorfully portrayed in traditional dress. The animals generally lack personality (Elephant is a passive character and the Queen Bee’s attempts to be heard come across as anemic) but the tale is given a boost by the revelation that it has a factual basis. Young readers will enjoy this story about the escapades of a “mighty, sleep-eating Elephant.”
An engaging animal tale that’s sweetly illustrated.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 979-8986696720
Page Count: 36
Publisher: The Hip Hop Homestead Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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