A unique mashup of biology and super-abundant whimsy that will charm fans of the strange and unusual.
In this Swedish import, an intrepid narrator undertakes a journey through the human body.
Accompanied by a reptilian cook, a diminutive doctor in a hooded white jumpsuit, and an “old lady,” the explorer recounts travels from an initial camp to eventual points north. Accompanied by various guides, they paddle by boat across the stomach’s rivers, then through the small intestine’s tunnels of emerald green water. The microvilli there are characterized as a dense forest of trees dipping down to drink. The party waits in the appendix for a train that takes them to the lungs, where a great windstorm results in the doctor breaking a leg. (He and their ill guide eventually depart early.) Horses transport the group over the “Endless Muscle Mountains,” through pulsing nerve forests. Exiting the circulatory system’s red river, they reach the heart, its beats thunderous. The group scales the perilous skeletal system. (There, everyone receives mail!) After their final camp at an eye, the lady and the cook decide to depart, leaving only the narrator to discover the wonders of the brain. Bartilsson’s amusing, intricate illustrations amplify the journey’s surreal, preposterous nature; some will be perplexed, but others will be delighted. Muscles are stylized, sinewy red and black undulations, while the brain, far from the explorer’s expectations of “legendary gray meadows,” pulses colorfully with…well, everything under the sun. Most humans are light-skinned; some characters appear more fancifully hued.
A unique mashup of biology and super-abundant whimsy that will charm fans of the strange and unusual. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798893380019
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Transit Children's Editions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, if oft-told, story.
A plush toy rabbit bonds with a boy and watches him grow into adulthood.
The boy receives the blue bunny for his birthday and immediately becomes attached to it. Unbeknownst to him, the ungendered bunny is sentient; it engages in dialogue with fellow toys, giving readers insight into its thoughts. The bunny's goal is to have grand adventures when the boy grows up and no longer needs its company. The boy spends many years playing imaginatively with the bunny, holding it close during both joyous and sorrowful times and taking it along on family trips. As a young man, he marries, starts a family, and hands over the beloved toy to his toddler-aged child in a crib. The bunny's epiphany—that he does not need to wait for great adventures since all his dreams have already come true in the boy's company—is explicitly stated in the lengthy text, which is in many ways similar to The Velveteen Rabbit (1922). The illustrations, which look hand-painted but were digitally created, are moderately sentimental with an impressionistic dreaminess (one illustration even includes a bunny-shaped cloud in the sky) and a warm glow throughout. The depiction of a teenage male openly displaying his emotions—hugging his beloved childhood toy for example—is refreshing. All human characters present as White expect for one of the boy’s friends who is Black.
A sweet, if oft-told, story. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72825-448-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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