A silly, skillful, and scientifically grounded tale.
One henhouse resident gets back to her roots.
Fiercely protective of her fellow fowl, Lena is one tough chicken. When the people who run the farm try to extract eggs from the coop, Lena henpecks them mercilessly. And when the hens are spooked by harmless things like boxes and frogs, Lena demands that they buck up. Unlike the other chickens, Lena understands something significant about her true nature. She’s a dinosaur, capable of terrifying intruders and protecting her kin. Her talents are brought to bear when a weasel sneaks into their pen one night. Lena’s primeval squawk sends the interloper scrambling, minus most of his whiskers. Finally, Lena’s skeptics, avian and human alike, appreciate her particular gift. An excellent opportunity for a dramatic read-aloud, the narration is paced in a fablelike style with sprinkles of jokey speech-bubble dialogue and a few scientific facts thrown in for good measure—chickens are indeed among the closest living relatives to theropods. Steele’s illustrations are a delightful match for Bailey’s story. Relying on loose, sketchy pencil drawings and splashes of watercolor that emphasize the narrative’s beats, she depicts overreactive hens huddled at the dinner table, a desultory weasel at his boudoir mirror, and a puzzled human family bandaging their chicken-caused injuries. Lena’s owners are tan-skinned and dark-haired.
A silly, skillful, and scientifically grounded tale. (information on dinosaurs) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781774880135
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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 friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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