A stirring tale about preserving precious marine life.
A girl and her marine biologist mother save a coral reef.
Ayla lives on an island surrounded by “a vast turquoise ribbon—a coral reef.” Not only does Ayla love swimming through the vibrant underwater habitat, but she also appreciates its importance to the surrounding environment. She’s shocked one day to discover that a section of the reef looks pale and colorless—and that vast numbers of fish are leaving the area. Ayla’s mother explains that rising ocean temperatures are responsible for the reef’s condition and for the fish’s mass exodus. All is not lost, though, because Ayla’s mom has an idea. Together, Ayla and her mother gently and carefully harvest healthy, living coral and place it into a tank in their home. There, submerged in water that’s the right temperature, the coral grows. Eventually, Ayla and her mother move the coral back into the ocean, where Ayla lovingly tends to it until it thrives. Will Ayla’s hard work be enough to allow her beloved fish to return? This delightful, informative, child-friendly story, based on the work of marine biologist Chloé Pozas (who’s interviewed in the backmatter), lyrically and cleverly incorporates a slew of fascinating facts. The bright, detailed illustrations, dominated by hues of blue, will captivate young readers, as will the idea that we can all do something to save our planet. Ayla and her mother are brown-skinned.
A stirring tale about preserving precious marine life. (more information on coral reefs and how to protect them, websites) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781664300279
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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