A gentle story about the joyful discoveries and courage that can be found beyond one’s comfort zone.
Hop into this picture book for an exciting adventure with Rabbit.
Rabbit is supposed to stay close to the burrow and the other rabbits. When she tries to pull up a stubborn carrot from the ground near the edge of the burrow, she falls into another hole! She tumbles down the underground tunnel, shoots out the other end, and plunges into a river. She scrabbles onto a floating log, gets off when she reaches land, and notices that a big, scary, hairy, clawed “not-rabbit” is following her. At first, she hides; but when the not-rabbit leaves her something yummy to eat, she decides to venture out. She meets other kinds of animals and tries nonrabbit things like hanging upside down, flying, camouflaging, swinging, and dancing. From a treetop the next morning she sees a familiar hill in the distance and sets off to her burrow with her new friends. Meserve tells a wonderful tale of unexpected adventure that demonstrates the fun of trying new things. The digital and mixed media illustrations are delicate with mostly warm, calming colors and scenes bathed in soft light. However, the spreads showing Rabbit with her new companions are more vibrant, underscoring the excitement of novelty. Some spreads use panels of continuous narrative art to compress action and create drama and a sense of movement. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle story about the joyful discoveries and courage that can be found beyond one’s comfort zone. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68263-375-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
