An expertly drawn and composed introduction to self-discovery.
Wishes can help us to feel brave.
Birdie, a light-skinned girl with curly red hair, is happy by herself, reading books, watching bugs, and blowing on delicate wishing flowers. But when she is around other children, Birdie feels out of place and shy. When a new girl arrives in her classroom, Birdie is entranced. Sunny, who is beige-skinned with long dark pigtails, has a “nature name” like Birdie’s, and they like many of the same things—reading, rescuing bugs, drawing…and wishes. The more they play together, the braver Birdie feels, finding her way, little by little, out of her shell. Soon, Birdie feels confident enough to play with the other children at school, too. Birdie’s wish has come true and helped her to grow inside and out. Loose lines and vibrant springtime hues of deep green, blue, and purple lend a playful aura to the girls’ interactions, at times even seeming ethereal and otherworldly. Birdie’s responses to Sunny’s presence—her stomach does flips, she blushes, and her heart beats fast—suggest that this is more than a friendship; many young queer readers will feel seen. Smaller vignettes pair well with larger spreads that alternate close-up and distant perspectives, drawing readers into the drama of new friendships and Birdie’s social-emotional development. Concise prose, at times nearly poetic, features expressive and carefully chosen phrases, such as “Her heart ballooned like a parachute.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An expertly drawn and composed introduction to self-discovery. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-43044-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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