Simple descriptions and standout illustrations make this a good group or snuggle-time read for younger listeners.
Striking illustrations and ever changing color palettes give young listeners a tour of animal homes around the world.
With each double-page spread beginning with “I love my home,” the book explores the concept of unique animal homes through illustrations of different animal parent-and-child pairs in their natural habitats. Even young children will recognize the animals: bears, rabbits, and monkeys, for example. Global habitats include the temperate forest, the rainforest, fresh water, the oceans, and the savanna, but most are described and not identified in the two or three short, unremarkable sentences for each spread. A beaver announces, “I love my home in the river. We’re adding branches to make a dam”; a whale says, “I love my home in the ocean. It’s my mysterious underwater world.” Reptiles are absent in the book, but seabirds have their home in the air and “love the freedom of floating on the wind,” while owls love their “home high in the hollow of a tree. Day or night, it’s the perfect home for me.” Distinctive illustrations with soft, simplified backgrounds focus attention on the animals, which are a cross between cuddly and realistic. Strikingly different color choices for each spread, especially for the brilliant coral reef and the tawny savanna but also the more-subtle dampened filtered sun in the forest and the multilayered blues of the ocean, make each page turn a treat. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Simple descriptions and standout illustrations make this a good group or snuggle-time read for younger listeners. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-91275-720-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boxer Books
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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