A strikingly original story of overcoming the odds.
Gather round and hear the story of Luna the dog and her daughter Ranchera, the most famous singing sensations in the Nuevo Wild West.
A cat stands on a stage before an audience of diverse humans and animals and tells of this doggy duo. As the story goes, Luna was forced to resort to stealing to feed herself and her puppies, including the feisty and courageous Ranchera. One night, a man shot at her, and Luna ran till her legs ached. When she stopped, she was stung by a bee and began to howl—“It was the pain of constant hunger, the pain that comes from never havin’ whatcha need.” The sorrowful sounds brought everyone from far and wide, led by Ranchera. Ranchera howled along with her mother, and their heartbreaking song was heard by humans and animals alike. After that, Luna and Ranchera became famous and sang for audiences far and wide. This rags-to-riches story of a mother-and-daughter pair making it big will pull at readers’ heartstrings. The framing device—that of the cat recounting the story for an appreciative audience—is inspired. Translated from Spanish, the writing has an appealingly folksy, tall-tale feeling. Reminiscent of Raul the Third’s artwork, the illustrations feature large-eyed, anthropomorphic animals wearing sombreros and scarves in a hip, Western-inspired desert setting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A strikingly original story of overcoming the odds. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2023
ISBN: 9781662651106
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Minerva/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Chilling in the best ways.
When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.
Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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