A comforting reminder to young ones that, with patience, growth will come.
A peachick wants to grow up to be like his brothers in Fox’s picture book.
When peachick Julian hatches under a banyan tree, he longs to keep pace with his brothers. He’s too small for games of Birdie in the Middle and Kick the Coconut. He’s too unsteady to fly and too soft-spoken to make shrill bird calls. Each time he feels smaller than everyone else, he retreats to the banyan tree’s comfort, where his mother reminds him, “Julian, you are wonderful. You’ll bloom when you’re ready.” When the seasons change and his brothers fly away, Julian must step up in a moment of crisis. In this simple, beautiful fable, the author aptly presents a peacock’s developmental journey as a metaphor for growth, beginning with Julian’s genuine longing to mature and ending with him realizing his potential. Bailey’s illustrations, with their muted colors, accentuate the narrative’s gentle theme while appealing to a young audience—especially those who might be smaller in stature or longing to grow like their bigger siblings, neighbors, or friends. It might have strengthened reader engagement if Julian had been portrayed as a more active protagonist, but this remains a sweet story with a unique concept.
A comforting reminder to young ones that, with patience, growth will come.Pub Date: April 14, 2023
ISBN: 9780996744591
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mamafox Books
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ideal introduction to this familiar waterfowl—readers will enjoy diving right in.
Mallard ducks catch the attention of an observant young narrator. Join in on her day’s travels to learn a lot about these quacking creatures.
Quacks appear in graduated type from large to small to begin this informational gem. The daily activities of a young girl propel the easy-flowing language full of ducky details. Perfectly placed additional facts in smaller and similar-in-tone text are included on each spread. These seamless complements serve to explain unfamiliar terms such as “preening,” “dabbling” and “upending.” While Davies’ text gently informs, Rubbino’s mixed-media illustrations, done in a subdued palette of watery greens, grays and browns, truly impress. Mama ducks, drakes and ducklings alike hold the focus as they nest, search for food, swim, splash and sleep. The loose and childlike pictures capture essential details: the “secret patch of blue on each wing” and the “cute little curl on their tails.” At the end of the day (and book), readers find “The bridge is quiet, and there’s just the sound of rushing water and the stillness of the night.” But the page turn reveals another morning of “ducks—just ducks, down on the river that flows through the town.”
An ideal introduction to this familiar waterfowl—readers will enjoy diving right in. (index, note) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5936-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
In the current run of titles about older siblings feeding younger ones, this one stands out for its inventive imagery and...
A boy is left in the care of his older sister in an interesting house.
The boy wants her to read to him, but she’s got a book of her own (and earbuds in her ears) and keeps putting him off. She makes him a can of soup for lunch, and the steam rises and morphs into…“A tiger!” He drops his spoon and tries to defend himself against the ravenous beast with a fabulous contraption made of ladle, corkscrew, whisk and tongs, but his sister only wants to know why he let his soup get cold. Microwaving the soup, she acquiesces, reading his book (which is about a tiger) aloud while he eats. The satisfied tiger, meanwhile, wanders about his imagination. The pictures are quite wonderful: The huge, vivid tiger grows out of the soup and goes everywhere, roaring and prowling. The children live in an architectural wonder of a house on a rocky promontory, with great windows and a fine outdoor staircase. The boy in his jeans and sneakers and the girl in her tastefully preteen flower-embroidered hoodie are the color of chai, and his picture book is patterned like a batik or Indian cotton print.
In the current run of titles about older siblings feeding younger ones, this one stands out for its inventive imagery and use of common kitchen implements. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-56145-696-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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