A hero’s journey for bedtime or naptime.
A father rockhopper penguin—accidentally separated from his mate and their egg—uses many kinds of transportation to return home.
“By a frozen sea, where the snow falls fast, / and the whirlwinds rage and storm, / a rockhopper egg, in a stony nest, was lying safe and warm.” As the book opens, readers see a whimsical, gently humorous image that immediately suggests a loving family: a mated pair of rockhoppers—with their signature yellow-tufted heads—nestled against each other. The parents and the prized egg before them all wear colorful, knitted scarves. Active, swirling blues and whites portray their frigid environment. While the penguins sleep, Dad’s ice floe breaks off. He awakens, panicked, in an urban, non-snowy harbor. He must get back to his soon-to-hatch egg in Antarctica! Charmingly funny anthropomorphic animals of various species help him, including a bear who gives him a plush teddy for his “tot.” The rhythmic verses move the simple story along. Page turns cleverly lead to end rhymes that reveal the penguin’s next mode of transportation: “train,” “van,” and “chopper.” One spread’s verses reference 19 methods of transportation—including pogo stick and elephant—all vividly illustrated in bright colors. The climax is Dad’s realization that he can swim for the journey’s final stretch, avoiding orcas and jellyfish. The ending is predictably heartwarming.
A hero’s journey for bedtime or naptime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781665963251
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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