Another win for this adorable series.
Poppy and Sam are ready to hibernate—but Poppy can’t get to sleep!
They have collected their supplies. They bid each other farewell for the winter. Poppy, a miniature human child with light-brown skin, and Sam, an even more diminutive panda, go to their respective homes made of gourds and snuggle into their own beds. Sam dreams of honey, but Poppy tosses and turns. Poppy wakes Sam, horrified at having forgotten how to hibernate. Poppy pulls Sam out of bed, and the two wander the garden visiting friends for tips on how to fall asleep. They try counting honey pots like the bees and say no thank you to warm fly milk from the frog. The ants welcome them to read in bed, but the only book left on the ants’ shelf is the dictionary. Just when they’ve given up—Sam’s lullaby has failed, and the dutiful sidekick has offered to stay awake with Poppy—they come across Simone, who informs them that mice don’t hibernate. They’re cozy in their den playing cards, doing puzzles, and eating snacks. They welcome Poppy and Sam to join them and stay awake all winter…and suddenly, Poppy and Sam are very tired. The comic-style design with spacious, colorful panels, cherubic characters, speech bubbles, and clever use of page turns make this a fun read for independent young readers but also works as a humorous read-aloud for the sleep-resistant.
Another win for this adorable series. (Graphic fantasy. 4-10)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77147-418-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A must-own adaptation chock-full of such stuff as kids’ dreams are—and will be—made on.
Mirth, magic, and mischief abound in this picture-book retelling of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
Ariel, the beloved sprite whose conjurings precipitate the eponymous tempest, gets top billing in this adaptation and recounts the narrative in the first person. Through Ariel’s eyes, readers are introduced to the powerful Prospero, his lovely daughter, Miranda, and the shipwrecked nobles who are brought to the island to right an ancient wrong. Ellinas’ picture book largely divests the tale of its colonialist underpinnings and breathes three-dimensional complexity into the major and minor characters. Caliban, for instance, is monstrous due to his callous treatment of Ariel rather than because he is racially coded as savage. Another delightful change is the depiction of Miranda, who emerges as an athletic, spirited, and beautiful nature-child whose charms are understandably irresistible to Prince Ferdinand. The text is perfectly matched by Ray’s jaw-droppingly beautiful illustrations, which will enchant readers from the front cover to the final curtain. The greens of the waters and the blues of the island’s night sky are so lush and inviting that readers will wish they could enter the book. Peppered throughout the story are italicized fragments of Shakespeare’s dialogue, giving both young and older readers something to enjoy. Large, granite-colored Caliban is plainly nonhuman; the human characters present white; Ariel is a translucent, paper white.
A must-own adaptation chock-full of such stuff as kids’ dreams are—and will be—made on. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1144-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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