A sweet, simple friendship story buoyed by sophisticated art.
A sea gull finds a flock in an unlikely crustacean.
While basking in the sun on a rock in the middle of the ocean, a sea gull remarks, “Blue sky, gentle breeze! Warm sun, cool feet! It’s a perfect day.” That is, until a nitpicky crab crawls onto the rock and negates the sea gull’s optimism. According to the crab, the day is not perfect, as the sky has a cloud in it (yes, just one). The sea gull counters that the cloud is “pretty.” But the crab persists with the negativity, next noting the “smelly old boat” in the distance and the barnacles on the slippery rock. “Fine!” the sea gull says, and flies off “to find a better rock”—one without crabs. But when both the old and the new rock—in reality, two whales’ heads—rise up out of the ocean, the sea gull’s “perfect day” completely sinks. Or does it? Brannen’s spare dialogue, accompanied by three gorgeous and completely wordless double-page spreads, makes for lovely opportunities to talk with young readers about the story. The rich watercolor art employs multiple techniques to create textural contrast. The animal figures are simply drawn and outlined with thick, black lines, but their expressive gestures and faces bring them to life. That the sea gull would choose to befriend rather than just eat the annoying crab adds a layer to the story—and indeed the sea gull’s bright-eyed personality.
A sweet, simple friendship story buoyed by sophisticated art. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-984-81284-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.
A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.
Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3520-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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