An imaginative tribute.
“This is a true story about a Tree that grew from something more than water and sunshine. It grew from love.”
Yes, the story is based on a real experience explained in the author’s note. However, the text immediately underscores the idea that “true story” can mean fantasy based on fact. The third-person tale is told from the point of view of the Animals who, before human beings came along, were using the Tree for such occasions as “weddings and championship bingo tournaments”—and even “first kisses.” Extending the anthropomorphism, different kinds of Animals reveal different human traits, with Chipmunks generally showing dreamier personalities than the take-charge Raccoons. (Capital letters are overused throughout the text). The tongue-in-cheek humor continues after humans discover the tree, and the light-skinned, white-bearded Grandfather of a girl named Charlie adds a swing to a sturdy branch. More and more People (of varied ethnicities) enjoy the Tree, and the Animals, after humorously deliberating, consciously decide to accept them. When the Grandfather and the Tree simultaneously succumb to the ravages of time, the Animals cleverly influence some People to create a fitting legacy. The illustrations are reminiscent of some Golden Books, with plenty of negative space surrounding brightly colored, cheerful, simply portrayed People and Animals. The text is frequently overly sentimental, but it does provide an optimistic message about love, loss, and cooperation.
An imaginative tribute. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-52392-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories.
What does Annie want to be?
As career day approaches, Annie wants to keep her job choice secret until her family sees her presentation at school. Readers will figure it out, however, through the title and clues Tadgell incorporates into the illustrations. Family members make guesses about her ambitions that are tied to their own passions, although her brother watches as she completes her costume in a bedroom with a Mae Jemison poster, starry décor, and a telescope. There’s a celebratory mood at the culminating presentation, where Annie says she wants to “soar high through the air” like her basketball-playing mother, “explore faraway places” like her hiker dad, and “be brave and bold” like her baker grandmother (this feels forced, but oven mitts are part of her astronaut costume) so “the whole world will hear my exciting stories” like her reporter grandfather. Annie jumps off a chair to “BLAST OFF” in a small illustration superimposed on a larger picture depicting her floating in space with a reddish ground below. It’s unclear if Annie imagines this scene or if it’s her future-self exploring Mars, but either scenario fits the aspirational story. Backmatter provides further reading suggestions and information about the moon and four women astronauts, one of whom is Jemison. Annie and her family are all black.
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-88448-523-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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