Share as a Father’s Day story or when the weather turns warm, but be ready for treehouse blueprints.
A little girl who declares that her dad’s house is too small for her spurs an epic building project.
Hughes uses dialogue between daughter and dad to move the plot forward, Dad suggesting the chicken coop, the garage, and even a shed, and Audrey turning them all down. Then Audrey points to a tall tree in their yard, and good-natured Dad gets to work. An elaborate twisting staircase with a rail for sliding down is built. Next a bathtub for snorkeling is hoisted up into the treetop. Her industrious father supplies each of Audrey’s seemingly endless requests for a bed, a stove, and chairs. When all seems complete, Dad makes his way toward his house—and Audrey begins to have second thoughts about staying alone in her new treehouse. Luckily Dad, as always, responds with the perfect answer of where she can stay always, regardless of how big she is. Bentley’s watercolor-and-pencil illustrations portray Audrey with curly red hair and lots of spunk. Readers will identify with her desire to have everything perfect in her new play house and her courage for independence but also will relate to her need for an ultimate place where she belongs.
Share as a Father’s Day story or when the weather turns warm, but be ready for treehouse blueprints. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-81327-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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