An easygoing story about seeking a place to call home and finding friendship in unlikely places.
Thompson’s children’s chapter book tells the story of an adventurous rodent who’s kind, brave, and looking for the good life.
Kudzu, a chipmunk, lives in a burrow in the flower garden on the Weatherbys' farm. One day, a stray German shepherd comes sniffing around and disturbs Kudzu’s burrow; fortunately, Mrs. Weatherby scares the dog off. While escaping further dangers, Kudzu ends up in the nearby woods, where he meets new creatures, such as Ophelia, an opossum. He also happens upon the German shepherd, but this time, the dog needs Kudzu’s help. The chipmunk then decides that returning to his parents’ burrow and reconnecting with his siblings is his best plan, but he’s devastated to find out that his childhood home has been bulldozed. Kudzu’s friendship with the dog, whose name is Quincy (“I heard someone read it off a street sign, and I decided to give it to myself”), grows as they teach each other about their worlds, and together they return to the Weatherbys’ place. Kudzu, Quincy, and a mouse named Stanley plot to ingratiate Quincy to the humans so that they’ll take him in as their pet. This chapter book is aimed at young readers, but it may remind older caregivers of movies such as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), in which animals, voiced by humans, wander around outdoors in a quest to get back where they belong. This story touches on some deep themes, such as parental loss, abandonment, and longing for connection, but the use of animals will make it easier to digest for a less-mature audience. Sometimes, however, the pace of the story is quite slow, with an excessive level of detail. The title also feels a bit misleading, as Kudzu’s life at the end of the book isn’t dramatically different from what it was at the start. Occasional realistic grayscale illustrations by Gledhill feature characters in various scenes from the narrative.
An easygoing story about seeking a place to call home and finding friendship in unlikely places.Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63988-187-1
Page Count: 154
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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