by Robert Gernhardt ; illustrated by Philip Waechter ; translated by David Henry Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2018
For children who leap before they look, an adventure of a dog on a boat in a book
Five lively dogs and a not-so-far-away adventure take center stage in this rhyming picture book.
A dog named Olly and his canine pals make up a rambunctious crew that causes amusing mischief wherever they go. One day, Olly gets it in his head to take an inflated rubber raft out to sea and travel to the United States. The other dogs wisely remain on shore, content to munch the sausages they’ve just nicked from a nearby butcher’s shop. Intrepid Olly won’t be dissuaded, however, and sets off happily—until he finds himself alone in a predicament, portrayed in a wordless, two-page illustration of deep blue-green water, an empty raft, and no land nearby. Olly must summon all his courage and his swimming expertise to get himself out of trouble. This Australian import, originally published in German, features a bit of specialized vocabulary (“crew,” “dinghy”) and potentially unfamiliar colloquialisms (“brilliant,” “might and main”), along with an occasionally stilted rhyming scheme (“saw” and “shore” don’t really rhyme in much American English)—but Olly’s pluck will be familiar to children everywhere. The bright, expressive illustrations are delightful, each spread alternating between classic vignettes and full-page scenes that are immersive and dramatic and often full of interesting details. The pen-and-ink style makes for approachable and easily decoded pictures, befitting the simple story.
For children who leap before they look, an adventure of a dog on a boat in a book (. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-76036-046-7
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Starfish Bay
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
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PERSPECTIVES
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018
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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by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
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by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Anita Jeram ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 29, 2020
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back.
Little Nutbrown Hare ventures out into the wide world and comes back with a new companion in this sequel to Guess How Much I Love You (1994).
Big Nutbrown Hare is too busy, so after asking permission, Little Nutbrown Hare scampers off over the rolling meadow to play by himself. After discovering that neither his shadow nor his reflection make satisfactory playmates (“You’re only another me!”), Little Nutbrown comes to Cloudy Mountain…and meets “Someone real!” It’s a white bunny who introduces herself as Tipps. But a wonderful round of digging and building and chasing about reaches an unexpected end with a game of hide-and-seek, because both hares hide! After waiting a long time to be found, Little Nutbrown Hare hops on home in disappointment, wondering whether he’ll ever see Tipps again. As it turns out, it doesn’t take long to find out, since she has followed him. “Now, where on earth did she come from?” wonders Big Nutbrown. “Her name is Tipps,” Little Nutbrown proudly replies, “and she’s my friend.” Jeram’s spacious, pale-toned, naturalistic outdoor scenes create a properly idyllic setting for this cozy development in a tender child-caregiver relationship—which hasn’t lost a bit of its appealing intimacy in the more than 25 years since its first appearance. As in the first, Big Nutbrown Hare is ungendered, facilitating pleasingly flexible readings.
Readers are likely to love it to the moon and back. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1747-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir
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by Sam McBratney ; illustrated by Anita Jeram
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