Sublime
A small boy's imaginative play tames his father’s fears.
Dutch author Veldkamp (Little Monkey's Big Peeing Circus, 2006) revisits the circus theme to gentler effect. Tom, desperate for his father’s attention, builds first a snail trapeze and then a squirrel circus, but his father’s fear of animals keeps him indoors. Tom needs a new show, so he heads to "Paws, Claws, Beaks & Bugs," where he announces himself as Tom the Tamer and asks if there are any animals that still need to be tamed. Hamster? Small dog? "I was thinking of a polar bear," says Tom. His knack as a tamer soon has an affable bear lending its furry self to Tom's circus, disguised in its off time as a piece of furniture. The new comfy chair by the fire is joined by flamingo drapes, an octopus chandelier and a three-hippo sofa, all wearing hiding-in-plain-sight looks of nonchalance. In on the game, and in a nod to Tenniel, is a white rabbit. The show is about to begin. But will it work? The father, finally the strong man that Tom needs, throws caution to the wind as he finds joy in an exuberant circus pyramid. Hopman’s luminous double-page spreads of soft watercolor and loose pen-and-ink lines lend humor to this multilayered story. Children will pick up subtle clues in the illustrations to the source of the father's emotional distance and the healing power of play.
Sublime . (Picture Book. 4–7)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-9359-5405-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lemniscaat USA
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
A feathered cast of flight experts can’t lift one up as high as a friend.
A tot tries to fly a paper airplane but is hampered by unsolicited advice.
After carefully studying the book Flying 101, Riley is ready. Wearing aviator goggles and a scarf, light-skinned Riley prepares to fold a paper airplane and watch it soar. The countdown begins: “3 … 2 … 1…” Suddenly a large eagle appears, shouting, “STOP!” The eagle boastfully explains that Riley’s airplane won’t fly: “I rule the sky because I’m large and in charge. Trust me, it needs to be bigger!” So Riley folds a bigger plane. The countdown begins again. This time, a colorful parrot dives in, interrupting the process once more. “Only the best and brightest can rise above the rest. Don’t you see? It needs to be fancier!” So Riley adds vibrant colors. However, more and more birds squawk their suggestions (“faster!” “taller!” “longer!” “smarter!”). Fed up, Riley marches to a quiet spot, meeting one more avian visitor. But this one just might have what is needed for the airplane—and friendship—to soar. Set against large swaths of white space, the realistically depicted but expressive birds swoop in through the frames with their opinions. The repeating countdown refrain and consistent interruptions are surefire crowd pleasers for a read-aloud delight.
A feathered cast of flight experts can’t lift one up as high as a friend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780593696729
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
Not one to stop for despite the appeal of the cartoony art style.
An intrepid member of Santa’s team saves Christmas.
When weary elves get into a fight just before Christmas Eve, Comet the reindeer steps in to break up the fisticuffs and is injured. The rhyming text describes how the doctor tells him he needs to rest and can’t help pull Santa’s sleigh that night, and then it reads, “Comet watched Santa get ready. / (His spot had been filled by / a rookie named Freddy.)” The singsong cadence and goofy phrasing of these lines is representative of the text as a whole, which goes on to reveal that Santa forgets to bring his bag filled with toys on the journey. No one notices this oversight since Freddy keeps them all entertained with silly songs. Injured Comet decides he must deliver the toys himself, and a comical sequence shows him struggling to lift an enormous bag onto his shoulders before giving up. Then he reads a tear-jerker of a letter to Santa from a selfless child, which inspires him to persist. He flies around the world in search of this child’s home, delivering toys until he finally finds the house he’s searching for in Oahu. At this point Santa calls “full of thanks-yous and praise, / so quick-thinking Comet / mentioned getting a raise,” an attempt at wit that both undercuts the message of selflessness and aims over the heads of most child readers. Santa presents White, and his elf employees are diverse.
Not one to stop for despite the appeal of the cartoony art style. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-4347-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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