by Seb Braun ; illustrated by Seb Braun ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2017
A tiny tale with a tiny protagonist that is full of big values.
In this picture book, Capt. Mouse overcomes sailing mishaps to bring her brother a birthday present.
Capt. Mouse, wrapped gift in hand, sets sail on her brother’s birthday in a boat she has made herself from half a walnut shell, a toothpick mast, and a handkerchief sail. Her friends, Frog and Dragonfly, wish her “bon voyage” and tell her to “watch out for big waves and watery perils.” When the wind dies, Capt. Mouse “whistle[s] up a wind”—a lovely nod to an old sailing superstition. But the wind picks up too much, and then it begins to rain, and Capt. Mouse realizes with dismay that she is, indeed, in for big waves and watery perils. Braun’s appealingly simple, uncontrived, adept illustrations often focus tightly on Capt. Mouse, her boat, and their immediate environment—and this framing is necessary to hold the surprise that is revealed at the story’s end. Other pages feature spot illustrations, and these variations keep up visual interest. Themes of kindness, friendship, resourcefulness, and setting and keeping goals are gently delivered by the thoroughly endearing Capt. Mouse as she, in the midst of her perils, gathers her resources, adapts to new situations, and asks for help when she finds she needs it.
A tiny tale with a tiny protagonist that is full of big values. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-8464-3759-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Sean Julian ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Judi Abbot
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by Owen Hart ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler
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