A flawed yet pleasant and accessible tale of friendship.
A tale of a fish and a whale, originally published in 1990 in Israel.
When a small silver fish meets a large black whale, one might assume that trouble would ensue, but that is hardly the case in this foil-decorated tale of friendship and helpfulness. Once Flash, a minnow fashioned from silver foil, bravely ascertains that what he initially mistakes for a mountain is actually a young and tearful lost baleen whale, he vows to find the whale’s parents, which results in an undersea adventure and builds a bond that will clearly last into the future. While in real life, Flash makes an unlikely playmate, in this ocean fantasy, he proves that size doesn’t count in matters of friendship. Dispatching his numerous, equally shiny relations to search for the whale’s parents while he keeps the lost calf company, he brings about a joyous reunion, finds a new pal, and has a very enjoyable day as well. The text is, for the most part, clear and straightforward, but Flash rather unfortunately opines that crying is babyish, and in terms of plot, his decision to send his family and friends out to save the day rather than helping the young whale find her parents herself feels unsatisfying. The foil may strike U.S. readers as no great shakes—it inevitably calls Rainbow Fish and its successors to mind—and overall, the story and moral are on the slight side. Still, young listeners will likely enjoy the sparkly silver and the mild suspense and identify with the excitement of making a new friend.
A flawed yet pleasant and accessible tale of friendship. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-735-22746-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
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