Like a peacock, this tale’s shining qualities don’t necessarily get the story off the ground.
A peacock learns to love his unusual appearance with a little help from his friends—and a well-timed thunderstorm.
Mo and his close-knit crew of fledgling peacocks do everything together. They have many things in common except for their coats: His friends sport brown and yellow feathers, and Mo’s down is stark white. As the peachicks grow up together, Mo’s snowy mantle remains while his friends’ plumage turns “bright, bold, beautiful colors.” Whenever this fact causes Mo to “feel different,” his pals chime in with reassurances. “You’re still a peacock!” they say, and, “Birds of a feather groom together!” These affirmations help at first, but Mo’s all-too-familiar feelings of loneliness intensify when the Annual Dance in the Rain arrives. Mo sits on the sidelines, too glum to dance in the year’s first rain with his friends. Soon, the night gives way to stormier conditions, thwarting the revelers with low visibility. Lightning flashes, and Mo realizes his pearly plumage is aglow; if he joins the festivities, he can light the way and save the party. Swooping in, “Mo saw what he’d had all along—bright, bold, beautiful feathers.” Debut author Singh gives fresh wings to the dare-to-be-different narrative by normalizing Mo’s tougher feelings, even with the presence of supportive friends. Still, an overlong story plus a couple unhelpful responses from Mo’s mates (“Don’t think about it!”; “Colors don’t make the bird!”) dampen the story. Backmatter includes a note from the author about her heritage as well as peacock facts. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 19.7% of actual size.)
Like a peacock, this tale’s shining qualities don’t necessarily get the story off the ground. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11644-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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