This simply written celebration of the natural world may prompt kids to “trill and chirp” as well.
From sunup until bedtime, Ivy imitates the birds she loves.
She wakes to the “tweets and cheeps” of her canary and spends the day being a bird: pecking at her breakfast, warbling, drinking “sweet nectar” from a play tea set, posing like a flamingo statue, lunching on berries, smelling flowers, collecting “shiny bits and pieces” like a bower bird, splashing in the tub, and finally hooting like an owl when it’s time to “settle in her nest.” Each page turn reveals a different activity. Racklyeft digitally combines watercolor images with printed textures to create colorful illustrations showing the imaginative redhead and her family: mum, bearded dad, and twin baby sibs. Ivy changes her costume to fit her activities and her mood—at one point sporting heart-shaped dark glasses. This Australian import features birds of that country as well as those that are more widespread; the 12 shown on the cover are described in the backmatter. Most can be found in the pages of the text, and there are even more. North American children may also recognize the cockatoo and the domestic chicken who join in her birdsong, though the kookaburra may be more obscure. Happily, the activity of pretending to be a bird is universal. Who hasn’t tried flapping their wings as Ivy does, as she waves a rainbow cloak and chases five bright rosellas?
This simply written celebration of the natural world may prompt kids to “trill and chirp” as well. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7331212-1-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.
Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063460775
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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