Little readers will feel the warmth of these loving, endearing friends.
Duck is ready for adventure, and Cat is willing to join in the fun.
Exuberance and over-the-top enthusiasm are Duck’s forte, and the little bird’s excitement reaches new heights at a sleepover with Cat. Duck is ready for a jamboree, while Cat is much more laid back and mellow. Cat tries to lull Duck into a restful sleep, but the little one is wired. They hear another creature ready to party, calling “Woo-hoooo!” The two friends search the barn, encountering cows, horses, sheep, and pigs in various stages of slumber. It is little Owlette who is the source of the hoots. Owlette has been playing hide-and-seek with them, greatly enjoying the party night. (Children will easily spot the mysterious guest and will enjoy being steps ahead of Cat and Duck.) Now they are all tuckered out and ready to sleep. Cat and Duck are as delightful as ever in this third outing in the series (Hey Duck!, 2013; Just a Duck, 2015). The interspecies friends, gender unspecified, are thoroughly happy in each other’s company. The tale is told in brief, simply rhymed sentences, with a different typeface for each creature’s part in the conversations. Bramsen’s meticulously drawn illustrations are remarkably tactile and textured. The characters’ expressive facial expressions and body language perfectly enhance the action. There is a pleasing variety of single- and double-page spreads, panels, and vignettes, all in bright, colorful array.
Little readers will feel the warmth of these loving, endearing friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-385-38417-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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