A unique mashup of biology and super-abundant whimsy that will charm fans of the strange and unusual.
In this Swedish import, an intrepid narrator undertakes a journey through the human body.
Accompanied by a reptilian cook, a diminutive doctor in a hooded white jumpsuit, and an “old lady,” the explorer recounts travels from an initial camp to eventual points north. Accompanied by various guides, they paddle by boat across the stomach’s rivers, then through the small intestine’s tunnels of emerald green water. The microvilli there are characterized as a dense forest of trees dipping down to drink. The party waits in the appendix for a train that takes them to the lungs, where a great windstorm results in the doctor breaking a leg. (He and their ill guide eventually depart early.) Horses transport the group over the “Endless Muscle Mountains,” through pulsing nerve forests. Exiting the circulatory system’s red river, they reach the heart, its beats thunderous. The group scales the perilous skeletal system. (There, everyone receives mail!) After their final camp at an eye, the lady and the cook decide to depart, leaving only the narrator to discover the wonders of the brain. Bartilsson’s amusing, intricate illustrations amplify the journey’s surreal, preposterous nature; some will be perplexed, but others will be delighted. Muscles are stylized, sinewy red and black undulations, while the brain, far from the explorer’s expectations of “legendary gray meadows,” pulses colorfully with…well, everything under the sun. Most humans are light-skinned; some characters appear more fancifully hued.
A unique mashup of biology and super-abundant whimsy that will charm fans of the strange and unusual. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798893380019
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Transit Children's Editions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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