A fact-filled tale filled with lush images that truly soar.
An uncertain chick receives some flight guidance from someone in the know.
Ptashnik uses a question-and-answer structure to tell the story of an anxious baby chickadee who wonders, “What if I never learn how to fly?” An adult chickadee affirms: “You will learn when the time comes!” From there, the conversation turns to how other birds fly, with the baby assessing its own abilities. After discovering that hummingbirds flap their wings fast, the little one suspects that method might be too tiring. “Are there ways to fly without flapping my wings so much?” it asks. “Wandering albatrosses spend most of their lives soaring above the seas,” answers the adult. Baby worries about being able to catch the wind the way albatrosses do. From there, the two discuss birds who don’t fly at all, like penguins and ostriches; those that fly as a group, like starlings; and loners, like owls. Centered on the gentle rapport between baby and adult, Ptashnik’s sweet narrative is filled with facts, but her true gifts are as an illustrator rather than a storyteller. Her digitally created spreads depicting the variety of feathers used for flying, dreamy views of penguins knifing through the water, pelicans swooping into the water as people fish by the docks, and condors taking flight are knockouts full of watery-windy movement and reflective light and shadow.
A fact-filled tale filled with lush images that truly soar. (further information about the birds mentioned) (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780802856456
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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