A fresh take on dog books.
When Seb and his mother visit their new neighbor in this British import, he isn’t sure he wants to get to know her boisterous dog, Hamish.
Mrs Kenny greets her visitors with decorated cookies, but even these don’t assuage Seb’s fear of the barking, exuberant dachshund, Hamish. Mrs Kenny assures him that the dog is simply excited, but she kindly shuts Hamish away to make Seb comfortable. She and Seb’s mother visit while Seb entertains himself with a toy train. When he stops for a bite of cookie, a piece falls and rolls under the door to the waiting Hamish. Seb hears the dog sniffing for more and bravely peeks under the crack at the bottom of the door. This leads the toddler to open it just a bit to get a fuller look at Hamish, who calmly waits on his side without pushing door or boy. Seb is emboldened to the point where he goes into the room with Hamish, and soon, Mama and Mrs Kenny discover the two curled up for a nap. While the resolution seems a bit unlikely and quick (why is Hamish suddenly so gentle and calm?), the story addresses a fear that other books neglect in their reiteration of the assumption that all children love animals. The illustrations slyly point up Mrs Kenny’s affection for dogs with dachshund-themed decor and affectionately depict the story’s events.
A fresh take on dog books. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-84780-412-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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