A title easily summed up in a single word: magic.
Patience and persistence pay off in Caldecott Medalist Cordell’s ode to owling.
Janie’s long dreamed of seeing an owl. “Perfectly stout. Large, round eyes. Silent, knowing faces. Birds of the night.” Janie’s new teacher, Mr. Koji, is a birder, and Janie’s inspired by his words: “To see an owl is magic.” Accompanied by Mama, Janie searches the woods, an open prairie, the beach, a harbor, and even a cemetery. Yet even after months, not a single owl has presented itself. Undeterred, Janie gets a tip from Mr. Koji. When Janie finally goes to the location he suggested, Cordell presents readers with a truly resplendent moment. Incredible pen-and-ink illustrations treated with watercolors convey not simply Janie’s passion (readers get glimpses of the young birder’s drawings, notes, and map) but also subtler details, like Mama’s uncertainty or one moment in which the two miss a hidden owl entirely. The understanding that there are no guarantees with nature lends a special poignancy to the pages. While the book has distinct ties to titles such as Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon (1987), illustrated by John Schoenherr, and Susan Edwards Richmond’s Night Owl Night (2023), illustrated by Maribel LeChuga, it also contains additional lessons on staying the course, which resonate loud and clear. Janie and Mama are brown-skinned; Mr. Koji presents East Asian.
A title easily summed up in a single word: magic. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593649893
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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