Low-key Easter fare.
When the Easter Bunny loses a basket full of colorful eggs, Uni the Unicorn lends a helping horn.
It’s early spring, and Uni is on the way back to the land of unicorns after visiting a friend. Uni soon runs into the Easter Bunny, who fretfully shows the unicorn a disappointingly empty basket. Uni offers to help look for the missing eggs. Although the unicorn spots lots of look-alikes, the eggs are never found. But the Easter Bunny purchases some eggs from the grocery store, and with a touch of Uni’s horn, the Easter Bunny once again has a pile of colorful eggs. Little readers following along might also notice the hidden splashes of color that Uni believes are eggs, though each turns out to be bits of nature, like a cherry blossom or a bumblebee. Uni, a white unicorn with a deep-purple mane and blue sparkly eyes, cuts an endearing figure, as does the Easter Bunny, who sports a scarf and jacket. The illustrations feature pale spring blues, greens, and pinks, as well as a rainbow on one spread. There isn’t much substance to this tale, though it should please fans of Rosenthal’s original Uni story, those who love all things unicorn, or anyone seeking an Easter story. Uni’s friend is a blond-haired, blue-eyed white girl.
Low-key Easter fare. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593651780
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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