A sweet tale with a strong moral about appreciating differences.
A duckling overcomes his fear to help a friend in this picture book.
Ack’s beak isn’t like the other ducklings’; it has a trumpetlike shape and makes his quack into “a funny ack, ack, ack.” Other ducklings pick on him and force him to the end of the duckling line, but Ack just wants to fit in. Wilson Wigglesworth, a boy who feeds the ducks, is also different; his big, thick glasses make him stand out. At the annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival and Duckling Parade, Ack tries to hide his beak with a hat, a sock, and even a crab. But when Wilson, who isn’t wearing his glasses, is in danger of being run over by a distracted biker, Ack lets out a giant “ACK!” and saves the day. Debut author Spurway’s take on “The Ugly Duckling” adds regional charm, planting the story firmly in Nantucket and drawing on its real-life Duckling Parade tradition. East’s watercolor illustrations reinforce Ack’s realization that everyone has unique attributes and that humans come in all sizes and colors. Children may be surprised that Ack’s mother is oblivious to the bullying, but otherwise the plot flows cleanly, setting up hints about the outcome. The significant amount of text makes this a good choice for lap readers or newly independent readers.
A sweet tale with a strong moral about appreciating differences.Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73401-010-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Nanducket Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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