by Marjorie Newman & illustrated by Patrick Benson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002
An old adage (“If you love someone set them free”) and a message about respect for nature combine in this sweet story. Newman tells it simply, with just a few lines of text per page (“Mole found a baby bird. It had fallen out of its nest”). Benson’s (Squeak’s Good Idea, 2001, etc.) delicate illustrations, which appear to be rendered in watercolor and pen and ink, are similarly unadulterated. In the opening spread, for example, Mole—wide-eyed with his paws behind his back—observes the wayward baby. On the facing page, the two appear in nearly the same position with only their expressions changed (Mole bemused, the bird confused). When Mole brings the bird home to his parents, they offer an honest assessment of what it means to care for such a creature. “They usually die,” says his father. Still, Mole is determined to beat the odds and, under his care, the bird prospers. But when it tries to fly, Mole moves swiftly to keep the bird grounded. Benson’s vignettes are full of touching detail: as Mole transports lumber to build a cage, for example, the bird carries nails in his beak. Only Grandpa can help Mole see the animal’s true nature and, in the end, Mole does what’s best for the bird. This enjoyable story is so subtly crafted, with text and illustration so perfectly paired, that youngsters will eagerly read between the lines, making it a natural choice for read-aloud sessions and a good starting place for discussions about the environment, relationships, and more. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-58234-784-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
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by Marjorie Newman & illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 22, 2017
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
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Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Cam Kendell
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by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2005
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
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by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
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