While some mild moralizing creeps in at times, this real world–based animal fantasy delivers resonant lessons in...
In this sequel, five dogs and two cats, who previously collaborated on a theatrical endeavor, travel to New Zealand to put on a show.
In her first children’s book, Sieglinde C. Othmer (Whims, Wits, and Whiskers, 2012, etc.), a published scholar of clinical psychiatry and psychology, combined her professional background and passion for animals in a humorous, pet-centered tale promoting friendship, personal growth, and creativity. The dogs and cats, who staged a production in a Missouri forest in their debut outing, continue learning life lessons in this sequel. The group takes its creative talents much farther afield—to a sheep farm in New Zealand. The animals’ new show has a purpose: to raise awareness for endangered kiwi birds. Transported to New Zealand in baskets carried by giant condors (a highly enjoyable bit of whimsy), the band includes wise Mr. Guinness, a Lab/pit bull; tenderhearted, shy Lexi, a Shih Tzu; Bailey, a peaceable Lab; the smart and snarky terrier Rosie; brash, hyperactive, and gassy George, a basset hound/beagle mix; French-speaking black cat Miles; and tabby Cosmo. Making new friends on the sheep farm, the group learns that stoats are threatening the kiwis in their forest habitat. Bashful Lexi is in the spotlight, finding strength through her compassion for the not-so-evil stoats and leading the band to a solution that works for all. As the story unfolds, the animals learn and grow while confronting and comforting one another through various conflicts, challenges, and triumphs. These vividly depicted, humanlike animal characters—who can use computers, wield paintbrushes, sing, and dance—are stand-ins for readers of any age struggling with similar self-doubts or other anxieties. Although a tone of benign lecturing is more prevalent here than in the preceding book, the author’s captivating alternative reality resonates with reassurance and coping strategies. Rosean (Whims, Wits, and Whiskers, 2012) again offers witty visual accompaniments to the text with deftly rendered ink and graphite drawings. Small images of flora and fauna, sketched with realistic details by debut illustrator Julia Othmer, are sprinkled throughout. (A warning: when overwhelmed by emotions, George uses the words “damn” and “bastards.”)
While some mild moralizing creeps in at times, this real world–based animal fantasy delivers resonant lessons in character-building and conflict resolution with humor and heart.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5462-1277-5
Page Count: 276
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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