A fantastical, appealing blend of barnyard and Hogwarts.
Bolz’s (The Dawning of the True Self, 2013) debut YA novel follows one brave adventurer; never mind that he’s a rooster who can barely fly.
Joshua is proud rooster with bright red tail feathers who lives to protect his coop of hens. But one day, Joshua has vivid dreams that simply leave him wanting more than his formerly uneventful and fulfilling life. So he flies to coop in search of adventure, purpose and the three mysterious feathers that he sees in his dream. Along the way, he meets Grey, a loyal wolf searching the world over for freedom from the pain of his past. Grey and Joshua become fast friends, and soon they welcome another companion into their fold—Krieg, the former warrior horse. In a way, all three are searching for something: Joshua for his life’s purpose, Grey for reprieve from unspeakable loss and Krieg for peace at last. The three brave rabid-hyena attacks; rescue a beautiful, mythical creature from centuries of imprisonment; explore a magical city of light and travel far, wide and deep to complete this mission. The choice of featuring a rooster as a protagonist initially seems off-putting, but the righteous, humble Joshua is a likable hero. In some ways, the tale follows a traditional coming-of-age format, and while the typical life journey doesn’t involve a killer vulture or an army of spiders risen from the dead, everyone’s got formidable obstacles. Bolz’s writing style is crisp and to the point, and the dialogue between the characters—whether spoken or internal (all three animals can speak telepathically)—flows well.
A fantastical, appealing blend of barnyard and Hogwarts.Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615648750
Page Count: 222
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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