Not a visual inspiration; at most, a jumping-off point about Casa Battló.
A fictionalized origin story of a real architectural marvel.
“Carmen Batlló, our very important visitor is here!” calls Carmen’s family, trying to lure her out of the woods around their country home. She’s reluctant. Nature comforts her, and when she’s alone, she can talk to her “invisible salamander,” Dragon, a huge, pale green, imaginary creature. The visitor is Antoni Gaudí, who, over time, designs a stunningly unusual city house for Carmen’s family. Gaudí, the Batlló family, and Casa Batlló—built between 1904 and 1906 in Barcelona—are all real; Hughes’ fancy is that Gaudí bases his wildly creative design on a personal, shared understanding with little Carmen about nature and Dragon. When the curving, glittering Casa Batlló reaches completion, Ferrer’s art does it tolerable justice. The front is shown with sinuous lines and covered in multicolored tiles (though the hues are off, and dark trees that flank it dominate), a blue room is depicted with layers of light as if undersea, and the undulating roof is pictured as a sculpture of, specifically, Dragon. Earlier, the illustrations are odd, portraying Carmen’s (and Gaudí’s) beloved nature scenes—supposedly wondrous because they’re devoid of “sharp corners”—as full of dark, ominous plants sharp enough to cut and sinister tertiary colors with mustard tones. The final house looks passably striking, though far less sparkly and unconventional than it should—as demonstrated with a closing photograph.
Not a visual inspiration; at most, a jumping-off point about Casa Battló. (author’s note, selected sources) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77147-392-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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