A worthy topic and a capable concept that barely miss the mark.
It’s Sophie’s birthday, but nothing seems right to this headstrong 2-year-old until Granny saves the day in this rote offering from Wells.
When Sophie wakes up, she refuses to answer her mother’s cheerful questions or to wear her special birthday dress. Her father’s gift is a disappointment, and she’s too picky to eat. After the unappreciative toddler shows disdain for Granny’s present (a set of Talking, Blinking Alphabet Blocks), the two set out on a walk. Granny, astute as ever, finds the perfect cure for Sophie’s dudgeon: a tiger costume with which Sophie can express all her terribleness! The sabre-tooth suit makes for one acceptable solution, as Sophie happily celebrates her big milestone. Mixed-media illustrations in a pastel palette showcase adept brushwork and beautiful use of pattern. However, both the narrative and illustrations miss the usual comedic beats and deftness of skill that Wells is so capable of producing. At times, the narrative seems more interested in satiric digs at modern concepts of play than in Sophie; in addition to the talking alphabet blocks, there’s Sophie’s Push-Me-Pull-You Motorcycle and the Learning Curve Toy Shop.
A worthy topic and a capable concept that barely miss the mark. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-670-78512-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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