Despite the forced plot, this is likely to bring a smile or three.
Misfit wolf meets mischievous lass in a red cape: Is she friend or foe?
Sweet Little Wolf loves flowers and fairy tales, and she doesn't want to grow up to be big and bad, to the great dismay of her parents. To nudge her back onto the correct path, they send her out to get dinner with a shopping list that includes "one little girl (tender and juicy)." She does want to please her parents, and serendipitously, who should skip by but Red Riding Hood, reading a fairy tale aloud. Sweet Little Wolf is enraptured, then angry at herself, then enraptured again. She creeps into Grandma's cottage and tries to put on a scary face. But Grandma (who fortunately is not home) has such beautiful clothes that Sweet Little Wolf can't resist getting into a sparkly pink robe and dusting herself with powder. When Red Riding Hood arrives, Sweet Little Wolf doesn't attack her but hides under the covers. The two become friends and eat cookies together. Red Riding Hood writes a lovely letter to Sweet Little Wolf's parents. Anxious about her daylong absence, Mrs. Wolf does an about-face that evening and tells Sweet Little Wolf that she loves her just the way she is. Pichon's bright illustrations are a great match for Mortimer's sunny story, told with charm and no skimping on text.
Despite the forced plot, this is likely to bring a smile or three. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-117-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2013
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates.
Success comes at last for the bright-eyed Pigeon.
A clever, tongue-in-cheek ersatz colophon reveals that this graduate has been awarded a “Master of Ornery-thology, Bachelor of Arts of Persuasion with a Minor in Major Freak-outs (summa cum loudly).” Fans will be glad that the Pigeon’s tireless, abundant optimism is finally being ceremoniously recognized. On the cover, the Pigeon wears a mortarboard at a jaunty angle, commenting, “I have the hat!” Of course, dressing the part is essential. But also, “I did the work. I paid attention to the little details. I took some BIG steps.” The Pigeon encountered obstacles (not shown, but many memorable ones will come to mind for the Pigeon's followers). And the Pigeon is plagued by worries familiar to many students who are about to graduate: “WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN?!? What will I do? Who will I be?” The Pigeon appears in every frame, in close-ups and in poses variously thoughtful, confident, or slightly distressed. Our hero’s simple big eyes and wings are, as ever, remarkably expressive. “Oop!” In one scene, while walking off the dais, diploma in wing, the Pigeon comes to what seems like the edge of a chasm. At last, our hero takes flight with other graduates. Willems' popular characters Gerald and Piggie are there to look on admiringly.
An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781454960430
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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