by Pilar López Ávila ; illustrated by Gina Rosas Moncada ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2023
Sure to lead youngsters to consider what they could be and do in nature…and then to plant a tree.
An imaginative round-robin survey of nature and one human’s part to play in the chain.
An unnamed narrator, seen only in shadowy outline on the final spread, imagines what they would like to be and do in the wild world. If they were a tree, their branches “would dance to the sound of the wind.” If they were the wind, their breeze “would carry seeds to the deserts.” The pattern goes on, through sandcastles/sand and the ocean to whales, salt, deer, birds, hummingbirds, flowers, mist, cloud, and back to tree to complete the circle. The actions described are a mix of realistic and fantastical: If the narrator were salt, they would “salt the grass that feeds the deer,” and if a desert, they would “play with the dunes to build sandcastles.” The final spread is a humdinger of an ecological message: Since they are none of those imagined things, they will “plant seeds for trees to grow and thus dance with the branches to the sound of the wind.” The stylized illustrations play with texture, color, light versus dark, and size differences to fascinating effect. The hummingbird kissing the flowers centers an up-close view of the flower, the beak and eye of the hummingbird just barely on the page. And the whimsical deer with bird-decorated antlers is a delight. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sure to lead youngsters to consider what they could be and do in nature…and then to plant a tree. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781478885283
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Reycraft Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Sean Julian ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017
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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