A positive message of hope and love.
This therapy dog narrates her perspective on grief.
Curly Noodle the goldendoodle knows firsthand about loss, having lost two families already. She now lives on the campus of a local university, happily greeting others on her long walks. Noodle has been officially trained to be a “world-famous Helper Hound.” Her current case concerns a young boy named Gabriel, who won’t cry over his grandfather’s recent death. Gabriel’s family is supportive, and their unnamed but described Catholic faith teaches that “one day [they] will all be together again,” but Gabriel opens up only in Noodle’s comforting presence. He’s helped by other humans sharing stories of loss and a metaphor of Noodle’s left-behind curly hairs as traces of a loved one’s lingering love. Positivity and a surprise reunion supply a happy ending to this somber lesson. Noodle’s narration is compassionate and sincere, like her doggy personality, and appropriate for readers who may be going through similar life events. The text discourages dog breeding: “Rescued is the best breed!” Noodle’s owner says. Backmatter contains “Tips for Grieving” as well as some facts on goldendoodles. Gabriel’s bilingual family hails from Mexico, and illustrations depict the other primary characters as white. Noodle’s current owners are in a same-sex partnership. Companion title Robot Helps Max and Lily Deal With Bullies features a Rottweiler who provides support for a pair of bullied siblings.
A positive message of hope and love. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63440-918-6
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Red Chair Press
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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