A beautiful look at the wonder of creativity and self-expression. Not to be missed!
A charming picture book from one of Cameroon’s leading children’s authors reminds readers that small things can hold great power.
Leo, a young leopard, receives a pen as a birthday gift from his father. Dad tells him that “there are all sorts of beautiful things inside your pen,” but Leo has no idea how to get them out. So, he and his lizard friend set off to find someone who can help. They ask Leo’s big sister, but all she can get out of the pen is ink. They ask Coco-Tembo, a hen neighbor who is skeptical that beautiful things can hide in such a tiny object; and a giraffe friend who thinks the pen would be better put to use as a flute. Leo and the lizard are finally enlightened by Leo’s mother, who tells them that “all the words in the world” can be found in the pen. Leo writes all the words he knows, then tries his hand at drawing, and “soon the whole world is coming out of his pen!” The story ends rather abruptly yet is lovely nonetheless. The real highlight is Renon’s exquisite artwork, which is softly colorful, presenting elegant scenes of lush forest flora and fauna and dainty, fashionably dressed animal characters. Younger children will have fun locating the various forest creatures in the artwork. The images will be easy to see from a distance during a read-aloud, but the font size is unusually small. The Gift is Dzotap’s first book published in English.
A beautiful look at the wonder of creativity and self-expression. Not to be missed! (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5583-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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