Smooth prose and a suspenseful plot further improve this winning story about the rewards of perseverance.
A black Labrador dog named Alayna runs away from her family’s campsite during a thunderstorm and gives birth to four puppies in McNeill’s middle-grade novel. Alayna’s family misses her, especially Becky. When Alayna deems the puppies old enough, she and her pack attempt to find their way home. Along the way, they meet many friends, kind canines and owners, but they also encounter obstacles like storms, fog and predators. Their guardian angel, Luna—a creature of light who takes the form of a hummingbird—follows them and sends them other friendly animals and signs as they navigate a treacherous path. Meanwhile, Tessa—a lonely young girl who longs for a dog—moves into Becky’s neighborhood. Upon hearing Becky’s sad news about losing Alayna, Tessa launches a search party. Although McNeill’s debut is for kids, anyone looking for comfort and inspiration will enjoy the tale. Luna describes her world of green fields, sunny skies and endless beauty, with God watching over all—a garden variety but lovely interpretation of heaven. Luna’s role is as observer only: She follows the traveling hounds and observes their plight, but she only involves herself once. Despite the story’s strong message of faith, all the characters acknowledge that it can carry them only so far, that they must act on their own behalf with courage and determination to see their beliefs come to fruition. As Luna puts it, “testing brings great strength.” Too much intervention from their spirit guide would have prevented them from discovering “how brave they can be and how much they love each other.” Tessa spearheads the search for the missing black Lab, but otherwise seems superfluous. Black-and-white illustrations add a graceful touch. The story’s conclusion seems foregone, but enough trials await the characters to keep readers invested.
Smooth prose and a suspenseful plot further improve this winning story about the rewards of perseverance.Pub Date: March 5, 2012
ISBN: 978-1469924755
Page Count: 118
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring through rhymed puns and sentimental art.
The title sets the scene for what’s to come: The owl asks the owlet as they fly together, “WHOO loves you?”; the kangaroo and joey make each other “very HOPPY”; and the lioness and cub are a “PURRRFECT pair.” Most of the puns are both unimaginative and groanworthy, and they are likely to go over the heads of toddlers, who are not know for their wordplay abilities. The text is set in abcb quatrains split over two double-page spreads. On each spread, one couplet appears on the verso within a lightly decorated border on pastel pages. On the recto, a full-bleed portrait of the animal and baby appears in softly colored and cozy images. Hearts are prominent on every page, floating between the parent and baby as if it is necessary to show the love between each pair. Although these critters are depicted in mistily conceived natural habitats and are unclothed, they are human stand-ins through and through.
The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers. (Board book. 6 mos-2)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-1374-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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