A bonny but uneven bit o’ tale telling.
Six buccaneers and a baby.
When the salty sea dogs of the Ramshackle spot a makeshift raft sporting an audible and pungent infant, they are aghast. All the more so when they realize that they must find effective ways of feeding and changing the squalling tyke. Yet with a little ingenuity and a goat to give milk, the scalawags are soon enamored of the baby they dub Isla. Good thing too, as an encounter with a scary sea monster proves to be the battleground where a baby pirate can show her true worth. The pirates are a multicultural, softhearted crew, while Isla herself is a brown-skinned charmer. Utilizing a faux naif combination of watercolors and Photoshop, the art is high-energy if a bit slapdash when it comes to matters of scale and size. Alas, the pirates themselves could use a bit of personality, and a brief glimpse of a nearby ship of women pirates may leave readers wishing they could set sail with those wild ladies of the sea instead of this crew. Be sure to look for a number of Briticisms that survived this import’s trip across the ocean intact (example: the baby’s “nappy” emits a strong “pong”) as well as some inspired pirate names (there are “Plunderpuss” the cat, “Crossbones” the doctor, “McSquawk” the parrot, and so on).
A bonny but uneven bit o’ tale telling. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-91095-995-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Otter-Barry
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A read worth waiting for.
Two children find themselves on a time-traveling adventure while they wait for Grandpa’s cookies to come out of the oven.
When Kat and Ari build a time machine, they set it for “the future, to just after the cookies [are] finished baking.” But they end up bouncing through time—to that evening, when the cookies have already been eaten, then back to their very first time baking with Grandpa as young tots. Then they find themselves in the very distant future. Through this journey, Kat and Ari realize that waiting’s much easier when you lean into enjoying the passage of time together. Soft pastel colors convey this message deftly. Speeding through time, the children fly past an ombre rainbow. A wash of blue instantly indicates a nighttime scene lit by the light of Grandpa’s front porch. The far-off future includes plenty for readers to take in: a house with legs, a dragon-inspired airplane, and special tubes through which townspeople float through in place of streets. Effective use of panels moves the narrative along and gives it a graphic novel–esque feel. This playful story examines a child’s natural impatience while showcasing how very rewarding and special waiting can be. Grandpa has light brown skin, while Kat has tan skin; Ari presents Black.
A read worth waiting for. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936743
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
An action-packed romp.
Superheroes deal with their emotions.
What happens when the empowered have a terrible day? Becker posits that while they could go on destructive sprees and wreak havoc, the caped crusaders and men and women of steel harness their energies and direct it in constructive ways. Little readers filled with energy and emotion may learn to draw similar conclusions, but the author doesn’t hammer home the message. The author has much more fun staging scenes of chaos and action, and Kaban clearly has a ball illustrating them. Superheroes could use laser vision to burn down forests and weather powers to freeze beachgoers. They could ignore crime sprees and toss vehicles across state lines. These hypothetical violent spectacles are softened by the cartoonish stylizations and juxtaposed with pages filled with heroic, “true” efforts such as rounding up criminals and providing fun at an amusement park. The illustrations are energetic and feature multicultural heroes. The vigorous illustrations make this a read for older children, as the busyness could overwhelm very little ones. While the book’s formula recalls How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and its many sequels, the relative scarcity of superhero picture books means there’s a place on the shelf for it.
An action-packed romp. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1394-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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