Simultaneously cozy and utterly engaging in its simplicity.
A sloth awakens in a jungle and begins her ponderous ascent in search of the tastiest leaves at the top of the canopy.
Along the way, an unseen narrator offers encouragement with the repeated phrase “Go, Sloth, go, Sloth, go, Sloth, go!” As she inches closer to the sky and open views, blues begin to enter the initially verdant palette, and after she finally finds and snacks on the delicious leaves, the sun starts to set, bathing the now-sleeping sloth in a soothing orange glow. Concise but effective rhymes and frequent repetition of the titular refrain make for a reading experience as steady and cheery as the sloth herself is. Little ones will enjoy the chance to chime in once they pick up the rhythm, but the deliberate pace of the story could just as easily lull them to sleep; indeed, the text itself seems to fade in color as the sloth falls asleep. The subtle jungle background lets the stylized black sloth and the words take the spotlight, furthering the mellow atmosphere, though the silhouettes of a few other small animals drifting by make for a beautifully realized setting. As in her The Pelican Can! (2024), Yuly immerses readers in the natural world; young people will be entirely invested in her sleepy subject’s ultimately satisfying journey.
Simultaneously cozy and utterly engaging in its simplicity. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9780316497916
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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