Overworn coattails.
Writing a fictionalized version of himself, naturalist Wohlleben gives lessons to orphaned talking squirrel Piet as they search for tree families in this stripped-down storybook version of The Hidden Life of Trees (2016).
Both Peter and Piet have cartoonlike faces with round, black eyes, and the scenery—bright with earth tones and generic foliage—also resembles bland commercial animation. While Peter presents as a ruddy-faced white man sporting a gray beard, the only other named human—Dana—is a woman of color, dressed in overalls and engaged in sustainable forestry. Kudos for this. Otherwise, the text tries too hard to intersperse interesting facts about trees and squirrels—some rudimentary, others relatively obscure—into a simplistic plot: Lonely squirrel seeks family; takes walk with Peter; still feels lonely; gains Peter as family. Among other things, young readers learn that trees often need the protection of older, taller trees to grow up properly; that heavy equipment compacts earth too hard for seeds to get started; that hawks prey on squirrels; that squirrels help start beech seedlings; that some trees release an orange-smelling distress signal. Oddly, Peter gives no credit to people planting saplings in the wake of deforestation, since these unprotected trees will “have a hard life” without families. Can You Hear the Trees Talking? (2019) superbly adapted Wohlleben’s bestseller for middle graders; this patronizing attempt to bring it to a still younger audience fails.
Overworn coattails. (foreword, endnotes) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77164-457-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greystone Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Best for sharing one-on-one with someone special.
A charming yellow pup knows the world is full of color, music and exciting adventures, but the very best thing to him is “YOU,” who is, in this case, his chum, a tiny orange bird.
King (Leaf, 2009) paints a soft watercolor world in which dog and bird can guilelessly demonstrate and declare their strong friendship. They review colors as they paint a birdhouse, compare the sizes of buildings and bugs, experience both high and low notes as they dance and drum and endure ups and downs and tearful “far, far aways.” The text is a love letter to someone dear, and young children will enjoy having it read aloud, because “the most exciting place in [the] world / is with… // YOU. The understated illustrations and impressive use of white space will engage young readers. The images combine with the gentle, rhythmic pacing of the text for a quiet yet powerful story for preschoolers still developing an understanding about the concepts of love and friendship.
Best for sharing one-on-one with someone special. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-206014-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
Murphy’s I See I Learn series continues with two new titles aimed at teaching kids valuable emotional and social skills. Percy’s day is not going well. He can’t find his other shoe, doesn’t want to leave his playdate and doesn’t feel like eating at dinnertime or sleeping at bedtime. Vocabulary words for Percy's feelings (frustrated, grumpy) are set in bold type, while body language speaks to them. His parents encourage him to calm down, stop and think, take a deep breath, talk about it and count to ten. Backmatter includes a visual summary of feelings and ways to deal with them and “A Closer Look,” which poses questions to readers to help them analyze their own feelings and behaviors. Also coming out in February 2011 is Camille’s Team. Camille’s favorite beach activity is building a sand fort. As three friends arrive, they decide to each build their own forts, too. But progress is slow working separately. When they decide to team up and cooperate, other beachgoers stop and take notice of the result. Murphy explicates the steps to good cooperation with insets and diagrams and includes some thought-provoking follow-up questions. The simple, brightly colored illustrations keep the focus on the facial expressions and body language of his anthropomorphized cast of characters. Two more solid entries to a useful, if not particularly artful series. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58089-460-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
