A fine addition to storytimes on friendship, breaking norms, and being one’s self.
Can someone be brave, strong, fierce, and love to dance?
Brian the lion loves to dance. Whenever he hears music (or any sound with a beat) he needs to dance, and it makes him feel good. He worries, however, that since lions are meant to be brave, strong, and fierce, no one will respect a dancing lion. Whenever his friends ask about his social calendar, he equivocates about all of the leonine activities he plans to do, but he really spends his free time dancing in secret. One day, he hears from a couple of gazelles that a big dance competition is in the works. Brian thinks he can prove to everyone that dancing lions can still be courageous and powerful. He practices day and night, plagued by fears of what his friends (an ape, a rhino, and an alligator) would think if they knew about his hidden passion. One day, while the other animals are practicing their dance routines, the music moves Brian so much that he can’t help but dance, much to everyone’s astonishment. Embarrassed, he runs home and hides for days. When his friends come to check on him, they each have a surprising confession…and a plan to prove to the jungle at large that fierce lions can be dancers too. Brit Tinn-Disbury’s winsome tale demolishes gender (and species) stereotypes with gentle humor. The digital illustrations of jungle animals, au naturel, are colorful and appealing. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fine addition to storytimes on friendship, breaking norms, and being one’s self. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68446-424-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Editions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
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
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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