Sophisticated and sweet.
Elevator Bird operates the lift at a big city hotel, run by and for animals.
The staff do their jobs well. They adeptly welcome seals, a tiger family, a zebra, and a porcupine with colorful quills to the multistory hotel with the rainbow doorway. There is only one problem. Elevator Bird knows the city well, but he is always cooped up in the moving compartment or in his basement room, shared with Mousey the housekeeper. The basement has no windows, and Elevator Bird pines for “a room with a view.” He “longs for dark nights filled with city lights.” Mousey takes his request to the rest of the staff, and they quickly “hatch a plan,” smuggling supplies to execute it up the stairs to keep it secret. Elevator Bird is bored all day with no staff traffic, but that evening, “everyone piles in” to share in the wonderful gift for Elevator Bird: a room up on the roof, where he can enjoy the city views and the stars. The droll conversational tidbits (“Quelle surprise!” exclaims Elevator Bird) and the quirky, colorful illustrations create a humorous book with a worldly air. The children who might like this best will have visited an urban hotel, but the funny animals, many wearing human clothes, will appeal to all. Individual readers or listeners will enjoy the small details on every page. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 37.3% of actual size.)
Sophisticated and sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-64881-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
An Otto-rly successful modern Christmas story.
A glitzy ornament searches for a tree worthy of him but finds his real place where he least expects it.
“Merry Christmas, bulbs and baubles! I’m Otto! I’m here to bedeck the heck out of your tree!” And “bedeck the heck” he tries! When Otto is told there’s space for him in the middle of the tree, he scoffs—only the top will do for an ornament like him. After he mocks his fellow ornaments, they refuse to make room for him, so he heads out to look for a new place to shine. He takes a scarring tumble down into the sewer, where he encounters an unlikely precious item. Returning with his find, Otto no longer sparkles but still manages to shine at home on the tree. This is a well-paced, appealing tale that will make for a great preschool read-aloud come December. Arrogant Otto has a satisfying redemptive arc that will resonate with readers. The dialogue and wordplay are pitch-perfect, bringing the characters to life. A mix of cartoonish vignettes and full-page spreads effectively depicts action and movement. Otto is multicolored and patterned with big eyes and a winning grin; the other ornaments on the tree also have personalities that match their styles. The few humans who appear are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An Otto-rly successful modern Christmas story. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593481202
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
Cheng’s story of a Chinese-speaking grandfather who comes to live with his daughter’s English-speaking family ably communicates the difficulties of the language barrier, and the unanticipated joys that come from working your way through that barrier. Helen is ambivalent about the arrival of her grandfather, Gong Gong, from China. She wants to know her grandfather, but she has had to surrender her room and her cherished view of the train tracks to him. Worst of all, he doesn’t understand what she says, and as she doesn’t understand him, he withdraws. Her mother says to give him some space and time. One day while Helen is sitting on the back wall, Gong Gong joins her, and together they count the train cars as the freight rumbles past. Contact. Helen learns the first eight numbers in Chinese and Gong Gong learns them in English. From there it is a short leap to Helen’s Chinese name and its Chinese characters, and then the letters used to spell Helen. That every journey starts with a first step is a commonplace conceit, but here the notion fits so snugly the point practically sings, and it feels like an adventurous beginning at that. Lushly colored artwork from Zhang is both elegant and captures the moods of tentativeness, surprise, and satisfaction. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-58430-010-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
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