When it comes to cultivating a love of nature, this oldest of stories has something to share with us all.
An old saint’s tale inspires a brand-new spin on the act of caring for nature.
When Kevin’s impoverished parents hand him over to the nearby monastery, they vow that they’ll come for him when they’re able. While there, Kevin learns reading, hymns, and prayers, but the only thing that assuages his longing for his parents is his love of the natural world. The nearby animals grow to trust Kevin. So when the monks tell him he must now stay indoors to pray and study quietly, he can’t resist reaching his hands out a window to a blackbird. Soon the bird and its mate construct a nest in Kevin’s outstretched hands. Realizing that what’s happening is miraculous, the monks feed Kevin as his birds hatch, grow, and fledge. The tale ends with a wordless scene of Kevin reuniting with his parents as the whole countryside romps with the wild animals. In an author’s note, Almond points out that this adaptation of an Irish legend is about a saint for our times. Lynch brings his hyper-realistic style to bear on a world of frolicsome foxes, trusting birds, and studious monks. Many images, such as one of the nest thrust toward the audience, will remain in young minds long after the rest of the book has faded from memory. Characters present white.
When it comes to cultivating a love of nature, this oldest of stories has something to share with us all. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536238075
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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