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
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.
Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!
Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781454999621
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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