A satisfying challenge and a fun animal adventure made thrilling by Lewin’s characteristically spectacular use of light.
With wide-eyed amazement, a boy observes animals on the African savanna.
“Look! An elephant eats.” Two giraffes drink at a water hole. A solitary warthog snuffles in the dirt. A gorilla peers out from behind stalks. Wild dogs alertly listen. Zebras gallop, and monkeys perch high in a tree. Hippos open their mouths in the water, and a rhino sleeps. Now circle back to the boy as he reads a story to his stuffed animals and goes to sleep with his favorite, an elephant, close by. Lewin, the intrepid world traveler and accomplished painter of animals in their natural habitats, gives each a double-page spread and uses pencil and watercolors to showcase them in the shimmering sun of the savanna. Beginning readers will enjoy each repetition of “look,” the short declarative sentences used for each of the animal activities, and the large font. Adults sharing this title will appreciate the connections made between the text and the pictures.
A satisfying challenge and a fun animal adventure made thrilling by Lewin’s characteristically spectacular use of light. (Early reader. 2-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2607-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
This revisitation of familiar holiday fare doesn’t stand out.
A visit from St. Nicholas with a trip to the barnyard, too.
In their cadence, rhyme scheme, and word choices, Manning’s adapted verses borrow liberally from the original poem credited to Clement C. Moore (and sometimes to Henry Livingston). Occasional word choices can read like missteps rather than innovations, however; the original poem’s “wondering eyes” are recast as “wandering eyes,” for example. Instead of using the poem’s original first-person narrator, this version employs the omniscient third to introduce a little lamb who awakens and observes Santa Claus’ sleigh landing on the farmhouse roof. No one joins her in her observations, but readers are invited to do so as she tries to figure out what’s happening in the full-bleed, rather flat art that seems like something from an animation studio. Eventually, it’s not what the lamb sees but what she hears that moves her from befuddlement to understanding, when Santa (who appears White) laughs “Ho, ho, ho.” As she watches him place presents under the tree in the house, she hopes he’ll have gifts for her, too. He does, of course, and the illustrations show the fruits, veggies, and other animal-friendly treats he puts into their stockings before leaving the little lamb to settle in again to sleep away the rest of Christmas Eve. It’s all sweet but hardly novel.
This revisitation of familiar holiday fare doesn’t stand out. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0625-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A brief adventure that celebrates short-lived seclusion.
Sometimes giving solitude a spin is just what a strong friendship needs.
George is a large, gentle bear; Lenny is a small gray rabbit. As the two spend the day on the playground, Lenny notices that they never seem to be apart and begins to speculate about what it would be like to be alone. “Lonely, I bet. And sad!” retorts George. But Lenny, not to be dissuaded, decides to give it a go. At first George tries various ways to join in (“Do you think there is enough room for two?”), but at last Lenny gets some solo time to draw, read, blow bubbles, and sit and think. It’s rewarding, but so is being with George. Writing simple picture books aimed at younger readers can be challenging, but Agee has succeeded in winnowing down a story of curiosity and loneliness to its most essential components. The tone of the book is consistently gentle; even George’s irritation lasts only a moment or two. The entire enterprise brings to mind (in the best possible way) the story “Alone” from Arnold Lobel’s Days With Frog and Toad. Agee’s simple yet expressive thick-lined art makes for an ideal accompaniment.
A brief adventure that celebrates short-lived seclusion. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9780593857731
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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