Adds little depth to the original but is enjoyable nonetheless.
A chicken investigates whether or not the sky is falling.
The bespectacled fowl protagonist immediately yells out to readers that she “is NOT little!” via an ocher speech balloon. “ ‘Little’ implies young and small,” she goes on, asserting that “babies are easily scared and I’m not afraid of anything!” But when an unidentified projectile bonks her on the head, she panics, soon jumping to the conclusion that the sky is falling. Word spreads of her investigation (the sky itself trying to convince her otherwise), and soon it’s “utter hen-demonium.” Persuaded by the sky, the chicken calms down her comrades with an impassioned appeal to reason and sympathy (how optimistic), and she is soon clucked over, bandaged, and back to yelling that she’s “FINE!” Energetic, expressive digital illustrations look like loose pen-and-ink drawings. Little has white feathers and a red comb, and she wears cunning red boots; some of her compatriots (many of whom are brown or black) are similarly shod. Her histrionics will be familiar to children and people who know children, and her probing exchange with the anthropomorphized sky is inventive, but this is an otherwise straightforward retelling of the classic tale. The penultimate scene, in which the little chicken receives medical treatment for her wound, is lackluster and anticlimactic. The bluster and squawkings will be fun for an energetic read-aloud, though, the calm narration pairing comically with colorful dialogue.
Adds little depth to the original but is enjoyable nonetheless. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-35901-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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