An imperfect ride, yet sure to stir the imagination nonetheless
An alluring light takes two curious companions on a whimsical trip.
The phrase “One dull morning” opens this otherwise mostly wordless book. Rendered in detailed, fine-lined drawings blotted with warm, subdued hues of watercolor, a round, mustachioed man in a top hat and bow tie finds his pet iguana in the garden in hot pursuit of…something. The giant lizard, fitted with a riding saddle, is trying to eat a flying half-bug, half-mammal hybrid. This creature is portrayed with a translucent glowing yellow stomach, antennae, and a single, large eye as its face. This creature successfully dodges the iguana’s tongue while whizzing away on its own errand. Captivated, the man mounts his iguana, riding it after the creature on a remarkable adventure told mostly in small, square panels that occasionally open up to expansive single- and double-page illustrations. Slight gaps in the storytelling appear occasionally, requiring readers to re-examine past pages. In a forest, numerous flying creatures flit amid large, glowing golden flowers, gathering light much as bees gather honey, prompting the man to dig up a single bloom in hopes of luring the creatures and their illumination back home. The final image of the man, who has light skin, riding a saddled flying fish hints at another quest. China-based Yang supplies a short synopsis at the conclusion that provides some clarity.
An imperfect ride, yet sure to stir the imagination nonetheless . (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-76036-053-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Starfish Bay
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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