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WOOLBUR

Name: WOOLBUR
Author: Leslie Helakoski
ISBN: 978-0-06-084726-5

From the Woolbur series

by Leslie Helakoski ; illustrated by Lee Harper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2008

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Woolbur is a free-spirited lamb; he’d rather run with the dogs than stand with the flock. Grandpaa says not to worry, but Maa and Paa pull on their wool all night long. Woolbur has trouble with shearing (he likes being wooly), carding (he tries carding wool while it’s still on his body), spinning (he’d rather ride the spinning wheel) and weaving (he weaves his own forelock into his art project). When his parent’s worry that he looks and acts so different, Woolbur repeatedly responds, “I know. Isn’t it great?” Finally, his parents put their hooves down and order him to act like every other sheep. Woolbur, ever the individual, has a solution to this as well. Harper’s lumpy, expressive ovines, especially the wild-wooled Woolbur, bring Helakoski’s delightful tale of independence to life. The surprising twists in a text full of repetitive language is proof that Helakoski’s barnyard hoot Big Chickens (2006) was no fluke. Hopefully she’ll turn out a whole flock as fun as this. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-06-084726-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN THE RAIN CAME DOWN
by Leslie Helakoski ; illustrated by Keisha Morris

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOUR STARS LIKE MY STARS?
by Leslie Helakoski ; illustrated by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

- BOOK REVIEW
READY OR NOT, WOOLBUR GOES TO SCHOOL!
by Leslie Helakoski ; illustrated by Lee Harper

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

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The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)