A quirky friendship story with lots of humor.
A young monster breaks a taboo against friendship—kind of.
Zander’s a normal monster (except for having a sister who’s a fairy—a strange detail that’s part of the book’s deadpan whimsy). And like a normal monster, he doesn’t have friends, though the illustrations imply he longs for connection. However, there’s apparently no injunction against fairies having friends, and his sister has plenty. Instead, Zander enjoys normal monster activities such as scaring children (which the illustrations hilariously suggest fills him with a wicked glee) and...surfing. While surfing, Zander notices a bird watching him. They silently greet each other with nods and points of the chin for a couple days until Zander invites the bird to the sand, whereupon the other monsters notice and mock Zander about his “friend.” Zander denies the friendship, and the hurt-looking bird wings away...but returns the next day. With information gleaned from his sister about friends, the next time he’s mocked, Zander decides that he and the bird aren’t friends—they don’t do everything his sister and her friends do (like “give money to kids who’ve lost teeth”)—they just enjoy spending time together. Jack’s colorful, humorous art makes for active illustrations and engaging characters, aptly complementing Vernick’s gently speculative text. The book ends without explicit acknowledgment of Zander’s friendship with the bird or his desire for closeness, allowing readers to digest the message.
A quirky friendship story with lots of humor. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9959-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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