Who who who could resist the gentlest tale of adventure? Not you you you.
One little owl dares to fly into the unknown.
When most owls are born, they ask only one question for the rest of their lives: “Who?” Not Oliver. When he hatches, he adds “What?” “When?” “Where?” and “Why?” to the mix. Like his family, Oliver lives in a big tree, the only world they’ve ever known. Yet all too soon he’s wondering about what lies beyond. But taking that extra step only happens when his best friend, Bug, falls into the river and is swept away. Comically flying to the rescue (the spherical bird does not look particularly aerodynamic), Oliver meets new animals (some further facts about which appear in the backmatter) and sees new sights. Some of it is good and some of it is bad, but in the end, when he tells his family of his adventures, they’re inspired to explore the world for themselves. With skill, the book deftly avoids the pitfall of preachiness, showing and not telling the moral of this tale. The old message exhorting readers to try the new is also nicely tempered by the dreadful rainstorm Oliver and Bug suffer through, showing that not every new experience is purely joyful. Deeply saturated colors, particularly the blues and orange-reds, pulse on the page, giving lift and verve to Oliver’s story.
Who who who could resist the gentlest tale of adventure? Not you you you. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-52987-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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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