A winning role reversal.
A bug disrupts her bog’s food chain—or does she?
A happy-go-lucky bug (egg-shaped and yellow, with orange stripes) “bobs on a log” as bubbles float—and “POP!”—from the muddy bog below. She sings and “thinks happy things.” Unicorn-bugs, rainbows, and sunshine appear in her pink thought bubble. “Trouble” is the last thing on her mind. Then a frog arrives in the bog. He gives the bug “a slick, slimy smile” and envisions cooking her up for a “yummy” meal. The bug seems unfazed. She even waves to the frog. Suddenly, a fog rolls in and obscures the two characters from view. There’s a “CHOMP!” and a “CHEW!” and a “SLURP!” and a “SWALLOW!” The fog slowly and dramatically dissipates, revealing a surprise twist: The bug is now over twice her size and “full of frog!” Rhyming, almost singsong text buoys the economical and often alliterative vocabulary of around 70 words and their variants. The line spacing—at most seven lines of text per double-page spread—helps emerging readers keep up with the fun. Fenske’s bright colors and cartoon illustrations add to the friendly tone and humorous plot. Though careful readers may guess the outcome from the bug’s nonchalant attitude, the omniscient narrator’s warnings (“if that bug were me, I’d leave that bog on the double!”) help the ending feel like a genuine surprise. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 57.6% of actual size.)
A winning role reversal. (Early reader. 3-7)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7724-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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