Fun—and with a supportive message for readers who march to different drums.
An otter and a butterfly—both passionate sea captains—become fast friends as they battle it out on the high seas.
Kelpy, an otter in the flesh but a sea captain in his heart, builds himself a boat and sets sail despite the pervasive mockery. Other otters laugh, human pirates laugh, sharks laugh, and even the waves laugh, but Kelpy sails onward, pursuing his dream (though shedding a few tears). Then, on the horizon he spies another pirate. But this time it is a diminutive butterfly (with a hilarious loop-over-the-nonexistent-ears beard) in a tiny boat who exclaims: “I be Blistering Blastering Butterbeard. Prepare to be sunk!” Kelpy laughs at the butterfly’s ineffectual barrage, and Butterbeard begins to cry. Contrite and recognizing that Butterbeard is a kindred spirit following his own dream, Kelpy realizes the only thing to be done is to destroy his own boat to make it look as though Butterbeard sank him. Butterbeard exults, Kelpy rebuilds. The two fierce denizens of the high seas commence to battle each other over and over, having a grand time and becoming fast friends in the process. Author Wilson’s tightly constructed narrative has a strong repetition-of-three base that supplies both a solid foundation and humor, and it plays well against illustrator Chiodi’s exuberant and colorful mixed-media illustrations with their loose, plenty-of-space feel.
Fun—and with a supportive message for readers who march to different drums. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77147-311-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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