by Steve Light & illustrated by Steve Light ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 9, 2012
Flighty fun.
Zephyr, a buoyant, gum-chewing lass obsessed with airplanes, achieves a fantastical flight—and gets home in time for breakfast—in this enjoyable romp.
Grandma, Daddy and Mom are all too busy to play. Executing her “triple loop-de-loop spectacular” off the couch with her toy plane, she crashes into a cabinet full of bric-a-brac. Banished to her room, she sends a paper airplane behind her dresser. There, she discovers a small door leading into a “wondrous place” full of flying machines and propellers and with a desk full of books and maps. Climbing aboard the “FS Bessie” (Light’s nod to pioneering flyer Bessie Coleman), Zephyr’s off. “Her triple loop-de-loop spectacular was much more fun in the sky!” Ensuing spreads depict a harmless “BUMP” into a mountainous land where flying pigs dwell in trees. After the dexterous girl fashions paper wings for a flightless piglet, the porcine fliers help power her craft back into the sky. Light’s fountain pens produce boldly inked contours and appealingly frenetic gestural line. Colored pencils and PanPastels in sienna, ochre and yellow effect a mood both sunny and old-timey. Observant readers will note images of Zephyr’s aviator grandfather throughout—clearly, her zeal for flight is inherited. (Flying pigs are a favored collectible in her family, too.) Zipping from fanciful flight to a “triple-hug, triple-pancake spectacular,” Zephyr’s surely not earthbound for long.
Flighty fun. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5695-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
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by Phuc Tran ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
Kids will come for the construction vehicles and leave with some social-emotional skills.
Anthropomorphic trucks and construction vehicles work through big feelings.
“I’m Cranky,” announces a yellow crane—that’s our protagonist’s name and state of mind. It’s a big day at the construction site; everyone’s completing work on the construction of a new bridge. Friends like Zippy the cement mixer and Wheezy the forklift encourage Cranky to cheer up. But their positivity only makes Cranky feel worse. Cranky eats alone at lunch and feels increasingly isolated as the day goes on. When Zippy and Wheezy express concern, Cranky suddenly becomes even more upset: “Asking me what’s wrong makes me feel like it’s not okay for me to be cranky!” The others back off, and slowly, the grouchy crane’s mood starts to improve. And the friends are right there when Cranky is ready to open up. Bright colors, adorably anthropomorphic vehicles, and layouts that alternate between vignettes and full-page spreads will hold readers’ attention through what is a mostly introspective narrative. Tran imparts some solid messages, such as the importance of giving pals the space they need and communicating your needs, even if you choose not to share everything. Some of the nuance will be lost on younger readers, but the story will spark conversations with others. Construction puns such as “self-of-steam” should get some chuckles from older kids and adults.
Kids will come for the construction vehicles and leave with some social-emotional skills. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063256286
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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by Shelly Becker illustrated by Eda Kaban ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2016
An action-packed romp.
Superheroes deal with their emotions.
What happens when the empowered have a terrible day? Becker posits that while they could go on destructive sprees and wreak havoc, the caped crusaders and men and women of steel harness their energies and direct it in constructive ways. Little readers filled with energy and emotion may learn to draw similar conclusions, but the author doesn’t hammer home the message. The author has much more fun staging scenes of chaos and action, and Kaban clearly has a ball illustrating them. Superheroes could use laser vision to burn down forests and weather powers to freeze beachgoers. They could ignore crime sprees and toss vehicles across state lines. These hypothetical violent spectacles are softened by the cartoonish stylizations and juxtaposed with pages filled with heroic, “true” efforts such as rounding up criminals and providing fun at an amusement park. The illustrations are energetic and feature multicultural heroes. The vigorous illustrations make this a read for older children, as the busyness could overwhelm very little ones. While the book’s formula recalls How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and its many sequels, the relative scarcity of superhero picture books means there’s a place on the shelf for it.
An action-packed romp. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1394-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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