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I USED TO BE A FISH

Name: I USED TO BE A FISH
Author: Tom Sullivan
ISBN: 978-0-06-245198-9

by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2016

While the book is visually appealing, the plot is very thin and not likely to inspire demands for rereading.

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Fed up with the aquatic life, a fish ventures onto land, spawning eons of evolutionary change.

Bold, striking illustrations—black permanent marker outlines on a plain white background with solid blocks of red and blue—adorn this fanciful tale. As the now-amphibious creature becomes a reptile and then a mammal, it survives the events that kill off the dinosaurs, turns into a primate, walks upright, and finally becomes a white-skinned, red-haired, bearded man. Next come hunting, cave painting, and building structures of increasing complexity. The story ends with a small, white-skinned, red-haired boy dreaming of someday flying, superhero fashion. A timeline and author’s note provide additional information on the science of evolution written at a level far more advanced than the rest of the text. Evolution is, of course, a very complex topic, and Sullivan clarifies that he has written “a fictional story inspired by the science of evolution.” Young readers will get a general sense of the overall development of life forms over time and may be prompted to consider the abilities or characteristics they would like to develop if only wishing could make it so. Due to Sullivan’s choice of palette and style, they will miss the fact of Homo sapiens’ African origins.

While the book is visually appealing, the plot is very thin and not likely to inspire demands for rereading. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-245198-9

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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ESCAPE AT 10,000 FEET
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

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OUT THERE
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

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BLUE VS. YELLOW
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

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POLAR BEAR ISLAND

by Lindsay Bonilla ; illustrated by Cinta Villalobos ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2018

Good bedtime reading.

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Only polar bears are allowed on Polar Bear Island, until Kirby, a friendly, creative penguin, arrives on the scene.

On the verso of the first double-page spread, large white lettering proclaims against an azure sky: “Polar Bear Island was peaceful and predictable. Parker, the mayor, planned to keep it that way.” Below, Parker—paint can in left paw—can be seen facing his sign: “Welcome to Polar Bear Island. No Others Allowed.” On the recto, Kirby floats into view on an ice floe, with hat, scarf, and overstuffed suitcase. When Kirby arrives, Parker grudgingly allows her an overnight stay. However, she soon proves her worth to the other bears; she has invented Flipper Slippers, which keep extremities warm and reverse from skates to snowshoes. Now Kirby is allowed to stay and help the bears make their own Flipper Slippers. When her family shows up with more inventions, Parker feels compelled to give them a week. (Presumably, the penguins have made the 12,430-mile-trip from the South Pole to the North Pole, characterized merely as “a long journey.”) A minor crisis permanently changes Parker’s attitudes about exclusivity. The text is accessible and good fun to read aloud. The weakness of the ostensible theme of granting welcome to newcomers lies in the fact that all the newcomers are immediately, obviously useful to the bears. The cartoonlike, scratchboard-ish graphics are lighthearted and full of anthropomorphic touches.

Good bedtime reading. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4549-2870-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE HOLE
by Lindsay Bonilla ; illustrated by Brizida Magro

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YOU'VE GOT THIS!
by Lindsay Bonilla ; illustrated by Keisha Morris

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THE STORYTELLER
by Lindsay Bonilla ; illustrated by Noar Lee Naggan

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THE LITTLEST REINDEER

by Brandi Dougherty ; illustrated by Michelle Todd ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2017

A forgettable tale.

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Dot, the smallest reindeer at the North Pole, is too little to fly with the reindeer team on Christmas Eve, but she helps Santa in a different, unexpected way.

Dot is distressed because she can’t jump and fly like the other, bigger reindeer. Her family members encourage her and help her practice her skills, and her mother tells her, “There’s always next year.” Dot’s elf friend, Oliver, encourages her and spends time playing with her, doing things that Dot can do well, such as building a snowman and chasing their friend Yeti (who looks like a fuzzy, white gumdrop). On Christmas Eve, Santa and the reindeer team take off with their overloaded sleigh. Only Dot notices one small present that’s fallen in the snow, and she successfully leaps into the departing sleigh with the gift. This climactic flying leap into the sleigh is not adequately illustrated, as Dot is shown just starting to leap and then already in the sleigh. A saccharine conclusion notes that being little can sometimes be great and that “having a friend by your side makes anything possible.” The story is pleasant but predictable, with an improbably easy solution to Dot’s problem. Illustrations in a muted palette are similarly pleasant but predictable, with a greeting-card flavor that lacks originality. The elf characters include boys, girls, and adults; all the elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus are white.

A forgettable tale. (Picture book. 3-5)