Silly fun for fans of whimsy if not for budding bird-watchers
Otto belongs to a family of obsessed bird-watchers so besotted with birds that they have turned their home into an elaborate and fanciful bird blind.
Otto, however, prefers exploring the world to sitting at home in the blind. One day he finds a massive bird footprint, an even larger pile of “poo,” and finally an unusual little bird, best described as a yellow blob. Otto scoops it up and keeps it at home in spite of a family ban on pets. The bird begins to grow rapidly, and Otto is unable to conceal it any longer. Oddly, the bird can camouflage its burgeoning self in any setting, and so the pair continues on its travels, unobserved by the public. When a trip to the zoo makes the bird sad, Otto realizes that it is missing its family. Constructing “the tallest bird-spotting tower ever built,” Otto’s family soon locates the missing bird parents, who are large yellow blobs, similar to their offspring. Bird-watching theme notwithstanding, this wacky, visually exuberant offering is not hampered by connections to the real world; although many birds, real and imaginary, are pictured, not one is ever identified. Carter’s multihued illustrations have an intriguing amount of detail and make the most of varied perspectives, helping to compensate for the rather lackluster plot. Otto and his family present white.
Silly fun for fans of whimsy if not for budding bird-watchers . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-7762-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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