A well-conceived fertility lesson that explains egg donation and embryo adoption.
In Morrison’s debut picture book, Sheldon the turtle’s parents tell the story of how they obtained the egg that produced him.
One day Sheldon the turtle is swimming when he sees Tina, another turtle, tucking in her freshly laid eggs. Curiosity piqued, he asks his parents where babies come from. Mom tells him babies come from eggs. Sheldon’s parents explain that they tried to have a hatchling, but all their eggs broke. Their family doctor, known as Dr. Inky, suggested asking a sea creature for an egg. Christina the Crab, Jenny the Jellyfish, and Simon the Seahorse all offered their eggs, but none seemed right. Then, Tina the Turtle swam over and gave them an egg. Sheldon’s mom said she kept the egg warm until it cracked, and Sheldon popped out. “I’m glad you picked my egg,” says Sheldon. Pamintuan’s underwater illustrations recall the graphics in the film Finding Nemo. He perfectly depicts the turtle family’s disappointment at not producing a hatchling but also their joy at finding an appropriate egg. Morrison’s heartfelt story could be an effective way to explain to kids difficult concepts like egg donation, but there is no explanation of egg fertilization or animal mating. Also, this book probably won’t be ideal for a family with children born from a biological father and a donor egg.
A well-conceived fertility lesson that explains egg donation and embryo adoption.Pub Date: April 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781988025780
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barlow Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
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
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