Though the ending lacks closure, this charming story can be used in multiple ways, including as a counting book and as...
Jamaican siblings Sandy and Tosh search for cows.
When Tosh hears a “moo cow” outside his window one morning, he yells for his older sister, Sandy. Clearly the kids have a love of bovines, because when they rush to the window and see “the swish of a brown tail disappearing down the street,” they decide to go after it. With their mother’s (depicted from the waist down as two brown legs in a colorful, sunflower-print dress) blessing, the pair head off for “an early morning adventure.” The loose linework and the way the watercolors bleed over lend the illustrations an almost child-drawn feel. The story morphs into a counting book as the two adventure past various groups of animals in varying numbers. The illustrations excel at conveying emotion: One notable spread depicts an ecstatic Tosh when they encounter moo cows, and another double page spread offers two separate images of half of Tosh’s face—the only difference being the shape and size of his eyes, which perfectly capture his feelings. The children’s adventure ends rather abruptly, which may leave curious readers with questions.
Though the ending lacks closure, this charming story can be used in multiple ways, including as a counting book and as exposure to life in Jamaica for non-Jamaican readers . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-976-8267-14-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Banyan Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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