A short, sweet picture book that’s as informative as it is visually appealing.
Cooley’s picture book depicts the great variety of birds that stop in a suburban backyard.
The titular bird feeder in Cooley’s book is at the center of all-day avian traffic. In the morning, it plays host to a goldfinch, which soon gives way to a nuthatch that eats upside down. A sparrow, robin, chickadee, and so on follow the goldfinch throughout the day. Readers get to observe the habits and behaviors of the different types of birds that might appear in their yards. Each bird is identified in a rhyming couplet that includes a fact about its species, although some couplets are more felicitous than others. For example, “There’s a nuthatch at my feeder. It’s eating upside down. It gets its fill of suet and sees a bird that’s grey and brown” scans better than “There’s a blue jay at my feeder. It’s eating peanuts out of the shell. But then an oriole flies in, and the jay gives a squawky yell.” But this can be overlooked for the book’s delight in all things ornithological. Bailey’s digital illustrations bring movement to the story with indicators of mood, like the question mark over the hungry robin’s head, as well as a touch of humor in the last spread as other animals come out to investigate the feeder after dark. The birds are bright and colorfully drawn, from the goldfinch’s bright yellow-and-black feathers to the robin’s red breast.
A short, sweet picture book that’s as informative as it is visually appealing.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781039156531
Page Count: 30
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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