A perfect addition to the rainy-day bookshelf, where joy can be found indoors, knowing the sun will shine again.
A rainy day dashes a young child’s plans, but with dad’s help, delight can be found in playing indoors.
The warm glow of morning greets a happy child, who proudly sits at the breakfast table. But when a storm is revealed, a tantrum ensues. Daddy soothes ruffled feathers and fears, encouraging the tot to play inside. Soon, cozy pillow nests and a building-block city bloom; under the table, a clubhouse flourishes as the pale-complexioned child serves treats to a couple of stuffies. When Mommy comes home, the rain has stopped, and the two play at the park before sitting down for a family dinner of spaghetti and ice cream. Traditional gender roles are reversed, with the father as the primary caregiver, cooking meals, keeping the schedule, and gently persuading an obstinate child to nap. First-person, rhyming text perfectly captures a young child’s desire for independence and control over choices: “I close my eyes, / and dream about my sunny day. / Where I found fun inside when it was gray.” The illustrations, done in a gentle, welcoming pastel palette, feature simple characters, but the interplay of pattern and color creates sophisticated images. The child’s expressive energy under a mop of straight-brown hair is perfectly captured in jumping, stomping, running, and playing; and Woodcock skillfully layers cooler colors to convey the weather and emotional state of the child. Together the author and artist create an environment full of warmth and love. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.3-by-18.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
A perfect addition to the rainy-day bookshelf, where joy can be found indoors, knowing the sun will shine again. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-257307-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
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
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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