A welcome glimpse into child sensibilities.
Virgil and Owen, from their previous eponymous title, might be best friends, but Virgil still has some friendship lessons to learn.
Owen, the lumpy polar bear, likes to take his time. He walks to school slowly, practices writing his name very deliberately, and munches on his lunch with slow, measured bites. Penguin Virgil, however, rushes through life with the force of a tornado. Whenever Owen starts something, Virgil jumps in and finishes. Owen’s frustration slowly builds until he can’t take it anymore and lets out a loud, “RROOAARRR.” Virgil, who goes flying, has plenty of time to think about his actions while stuck up to his beak in snow. Ostensibly about Virgil slowing down to learn patience, Bogan’s story explores a common toddler impulse—interruption—with sensitivity and humor. Owen counts snowballs: “One… two… three…,” and Virgil jumps in to toss three more on the pile with a glib, “Four, five, SIX. Easy peasy, my friend.” It’s a great discussion starter on reading friends’ cues (Owen presents some very obvious looks of shock, dismay, and anger) and learning to control the temptation to jump in.
A welcome glimpse into child sensibilities. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-373-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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