Cute but far-fetched.
A small elephant rejects bedtime; Dad is patient.
As this tale (translated from Spanish) begins, it’s night, and all is silent on the savanna. Daddyphant, blue, wears a small hat, and Littlephant, pink, wears a nightcap. (Other animals are cartoonish in form but in expected colors—surprisingly bright in the starry setting.) Though it’s bedtime, Littlephant wants to play: to gallop like a zebra and to remain “awake and alert” like a meerkat. Daddyphant never points out that zebras, meerkats, and other creatures sleep at night, but he counters by encouraging Littlephant to follow the example of animals like giraffes (“sleepyheads!” scoffs Littlephant), snakes (“boring!”), or hyenas—a suggestion that backfires as Littlephant begins to laugh loudly. With each suggestion, Daddyphant chants a lullaby incorporating that animal’s name, which will challenge readers with the uneven meter. Littlephant’s antics are disturbing the savanna but wearing him out, and he eventually falls asleep. At that point, all the animals he has awakened creep up on him and make noise, rousing him. With incredible self-awareness, Littlephant says no when they ask to play and instead chants the Daddyphant verse, causing the animals to instantly fall asleep. (Littlephant seems unaware of nocturnal animals.) The images are sweet, but the idea of a lullaby with such quick effects stretches credulity. And how many small children would reject friends’ midnight efforts to play?
Cute but far-fetched. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9788419253767
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
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
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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