A big treat.
Tragedy. Badger has lost his teddy in this Spanish import.
Bear comes along and offers to help. Through the meadow, under bushes (“since things get lost easily in low and dark places”), over the lake, under the water, and up in the trees our two—make that three (Ladybug is also helping)—intrepid explorers leave no stone unturned. Bear asks the same question of everyone they meet: “Have you seen Badger’s teddy?” Alas, the answer is always a disheartening “No.” Bear is more distraught than Badger, who has clearly been having a great time. Apologizing for his apparent failure to help, Bear is totally befuddled when Badger asks, “Help me with what?” The happy Badger then promptly drags his “teddy” off for some more adventures. Swiss-German author Fehr writes in English, his simple, wryly funny, patterned text lending itself to group participation. The real winners here, however, are Leroy’s bold-outlined watercolor illustrations. From concerned, ever present Ladybug, never mentioned in the text, to the chuckle-inducing visual denouement, the Belgian artist’s humor carries the tale in grand style. Badger’s expression of joyful wonder as the world unfolds around him is a delight. Adding to readers’ enjoyment, characters from previous encounters wander obliviously into new scenes, creating an engaging sense of continuity. The simultaneous release of both the Spanish (via Luis Amavisca’s translation) and English editions is sure to be welcomed by classrooms and bilingual households alike.
A big treat. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-84-17123-21-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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