A calming, nighttime addition to this adored duo’s series.
Bear and Mole go camping, but when the sky gets dark, Mole needs a reassuring story.
Squat little Mole, with a round, bulbous nose, wants to sleep outdoors to “see the stars turn on.” So Mole and Bear gather their camping gear and hike “UP, UP, UP”—while munching on berries: “YUM, YUM, YUM”—to the top of Camp Tiptop. But when they arrive, it is beginning to get dark, and Mole wants to go home. To settle his fears, Bear tells him a story of the earliest bear family. To combat the night’s inky darkness, First Little Bear helps his mother shape white clay into the moon. Then First Little Bear scatters tiny white stones in the sky to become the stars. First Father Bear tries to push one, but it doesn’t move. That star is the one constant—the titular First Star (or the North Star). Then, First Father Bear creates a “star picture” of First Little Bear in the sky, and First Star becomes his tail. Hillenbrand’s warm, textured illustrations take on a gorgeous, luminous blue for the tale of the first bears, both text and stars glowing white against it. Of course, Mole delights in Bear’s storytelling, and suddenly the darkness isn’t so scary after all. The lack of backmatter on constellations represents a missed opportunity in an otherwise lovely book.
A calming, nighttime addition to this adored duo’s series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3760-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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