Rosenberry's three recent books (Vera Runs Away, 2000, etc.) about an irrepressible little girl named Vera have an undeniable charm with a unique main character, believable illustrations, and strong plot lines. Unfortunately, Vera isn't present in this latest offering, replaced by a nameless little boy who lacks Vera's spunk, and in fact, lacks much personality at all. The boy tours his backyard garden, observing and describing ordinary animals and insects camouflaged in their own particular environments. On the last double-page spread (and on the cover), the boy himself is camouflaged in a pole tent of green bean vines, providing a mildly surprising answer to the question posed in the title. The uninspired text plods through the garden on flat feet, alternating between straightforward descriptions of the garden inhabitants and rather confusing second-person commands to continue exploring in different ways. Rosenberry plays with unusual perspectives in her illustrations, which result in the boy sometimes looking two feet tall and two years old. Her watercolors of flora and fauna are pretty, but the little boy's age, facial features, and hair are not uniform throughout the book. The boy also looks rather bored, an effect that is likely to be shared by children listening to this story. Wait for Vera's next adventure. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1529-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2001
Old-fashioned in all the senses of the word, but quite charming in its art-deco shapes and vintage colors; Sylvie and her...
A beloved Swedish author’s picture books are finding their way into English more than 85 years after their original publication.
This tale from 1934 is the second to appear in 2011, and while not quite so enchanting as The Land of Long Ago, it shares the same straightforward simplicity. Princess Sylvie and her father love going for walks in the palace gardens. The “big strong king” wears his red cloak and sash (and his crown, of course), and his velvets have a pocket of sweets for Sylvie. She and her dog, Oskar, want to leave the gardens to explore the woods beyond, but the king is doubtful. (His Majesty’s expressions, from doubt to confusion to surprise to annoyance, are quite funny.) But off they go, and Oskar immediately chases a hare. Sylvie runs after him, but the king, enraptured by the wildness of the wood, does not see her go. The hare hides behind a bear(!), who greets Oskar as a playmate. The bear bows to Sylvie and invites her to ride upon his back until her befuddled father orders her down, leashes Oskar and takes her tightly by the hand so they can get home in time for tea. The bear looks like a very large teddy, the “wild” wood is spacious and airy and Sylvie never loses her tiny crown or musses her dress. And the hare has a great story to tell his family.
Old-fashioned in all the senses of the word, but quite charming in its art-deco shapes and vintage colors; Sylvie and her dog and her dad will probably find themselves well-known once again. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-086315-813-1
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An intimate encounter with nature lit not just by stars and fireflies, but also an affecting dose of daddy-daughter warmth.
On a summer’s night, a child sails out into her yard to gather (and then release) lightning bugs.
Just like the stars that seem to wink and glimmer in Snyder’s moonlit, mist-streaked night skies, fireflies glow in the grass amid scattered trees and flowers. They smile in close-up views as the child, barefoot and nightgown-clad, gently gathers them into a big jar while her father looks on. Reflecting that “I love catching fireflies, / but they are not mine,” she cups each captive in her hand before “easy and slow, / I whisper good-bye, / then I let it go!” A spread of firefly facts caps the idyllic nighttime foray. Rough sparkly patches on the jacket add a tactile element that compensates, at least in part, for inner flaps that cover parts of the endpaper nightscapes. The bugs and brushwork resemble Eric Carle’s, but Snyder’s art works its own magic.
An intimate encounter with nature lit not just by stars and fireflies, but also an affecting dose of daddy-daughter warmth. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-60905-291-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Apple
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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