Sincere and serene, with masterful, atmospheric illustrations.
Three anthropomorphic squirrel siblings explore the diminishingly snowy landscape of their forest home in this picture book.
First published in Japan in 1985, author/illustrator Iwamura’s quiet story has a timeless and ethereal feel. While the story is cutely ingenuous, the main appeal is the masterful watercolor illustrations, which are all full-bleed, double-page spreads rendered in a soft gray-green palette for the woods, while the squirrel protagonists, dressed in old-fashioned clothing (think Beatrix Potter), are rendered in complementary soft oranges and browns. The landscapes are gently layered; the pale branches of trees overlap and become darker as the perspective moves closer to viewers; the overall effect is one of deep, magical atmosphere. Three young squirrel siblings, Mack, Molly, and Mick, go out exploring in the melting snow and are curious about where the snow goes. They see a floating log and hop on, drifting (now anxiously) to a large pond, where they are rescued by some mallards, who tell them that the melted snow “goes to a river and then to the sea…it’s a time of rebirth.” The rhyming text, translated from the Japanese into German by Rose Pflock and then into English by Wilson, has a few awkward moments when it reaches for the rhyme as well as some disjointed areas. Still, it mostly succeeds at creating a lilting tone while getting across the deeper theme of the rebirth of spring, which is presented without fanfare or sanctimony.
Sincere and serene, with masterful, atmospheric illustrations. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4345-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
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 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
© Copyright 2024 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.
