Be prepared to take a walk in nature looking for hugs after sharing this one.
A young girl compares hugs to things found in nature as she explores with her dad.
“A speckled egg can be a hug / nestled in a tree. // Eggs hold hatchlings / warm and snug. / Your hug is for / holding me.” Feng’s soft, pastel-colored illustrations show the father lifting the girl up to see the nest; the next page presents a close-up of their faces, full of wonder, as they see the mother bird and one egg cracked open to reveal the baby. But it won’t be quite as easy for young children to make some of the other connections, as the metaphors are not as strong as in Wheeler’s earlier Babies Can Sleep Anywhere (2017). Still, if the metaphors are obscure, the sentiment rings true. A cocoon is a hug; a page turn reveals a field of butterflies: “Your hug amazes me.” A flower bud holds the bloom: “Your hug feels safe to me.” And a seashell is a hug for the animals that may live in it: “Your hug is home to me.” The final two spreads revisit the comparisons: “Your hug was made / for holding me… // my hug is for holding YOU!” Feng’s artwork is lovely, stylized flora and fauna filling the pages, and the love between the two is evident. Both father and daughter have light skin, straight black hair, and rosy cheeks.
Be prepared to take a walk in nature looking for hugs after sharing this one. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2826-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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