An action-packed venture with an ending that will linger in readers’ minds.
Animal friends face their greatest challenge in this adventure translated from Chinese.
Continuing their journey begun in White Fox: Dilah and the Moon Stone (2020), the events of which are briefly recapped at the beginning, orphaned arctic fox Dilah and his furry companions renew their pursuit of the treasured moonstone belonging to Ulla, the patron saint of arctic foxes. Alsace, Dilah’s treacherous brother, stole the moonstone, which has the power to transform animals into humans. Dilah and his weasel and rabbit companions receive unexpected help from red fox Emily—who surprises them by revealing she took the moonstone back from Alsace. Emily joins them in following the moonstone’s light toward their destination along with Tyrone, a fighting panda bear, and old friend Egg the seal. Throughout the straightforward quest narrative, the group interacts with many animals who question whether the treasure is in fact a blessing or a curse. Dilah’s faith in the goal of being transformed into a human remains steadfast, however, and he argues that despite humans’ destructive reputation, by joining their number he can influence them in favor of kindness toward animals and the Earth. The puzzle-solving action in the second half is particularly compelling. The true nature of the moonstone remains a mystery readers will ponder long after the bittersweet end. Whimsical illustrations with an artful use of light and shadow are interspersed throughout.
An action-packed venture with an ending that will linger in readers’ minds. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-79403-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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