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BIG BEAR AND LITTLE FISH

Name: BIG BEAR AND LITTLE FISH
Author: Sandra Nickel
ISBN: 978-1-72841-717-2

by Sandra Nickel ; illustrated by Il Sung Na ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022

A delightful tale of unexpected friendship.

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An initially disappointing carnival prize turns out to be more rewarding than it seems.

Bear has her heart set on winning the biggest teddy bear at the fair, but instead she wins a fish—a fish “so small it lived in a bowl.” Bear reluctantly takes home her prize, but her sadness keeps her from seeing Fish’s potential for companionship. Bear goes on a walk alone and returns to tell the fish it cannot stay—their first real conversation. Fish counters every one of Bear’s arguments, and finally Bear sets off on another walk—this time, holding the fishbowl. Fish is orange, with red spectacles, a stack of books, a bed, and a plant; Bear is brown (some readers may be confused when she refers to herself as gold, but Fish clears up the discrepancy later) and walks upright. Gently rounded, softly colored hills, clouds, and trees, depicted with a grayish blue tinge, lend an underwater feeling to Bear’s world, subtly linking it to Fish’s bowl. Bear and Fish are sometimes big on the page, sometimes small, reinforcing the importance of perspective in this lovely, gently humorous story of the friendship that grows between different creatures when they accept each other for who they are. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful tale of unexpected friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-72841-717-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Carolrhoda

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SEVEN
by Sandra Nickel ; illustrated by Aimée Sicuro

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAR'S BIG IDEA
by Sandra Nickel ; illustrated by Il Sung Na

- BOOK REVIEW
THE STUFF BETWEEN THE STARS
by Sandra Nickel ; illustrated by Aimée Sicuro

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

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The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)