If the story is not dazzlingly original, it's at least an entry point to learn about one of the ways animals are...
In the story of a "Tortoise and the Hare"–like race by way of the Chinese zodiac, a friendship between a cunning mouse and a snack-obsessed kitten is tested.
Shu the mouse and Mimi the kitten are invited by Jade Emperor to a palace race promising "Cupcakes! PRIZES! Did I mention cupcakes?!" While Shu, a crafty, industrious planner, strategizes, Mimi daydreams of sweets. Soon, they're outwitting and outracing Dragon, Rabbit, Ox, and other fierce competitors. It only takes a moment of bad judgment, however, for Mimi to lose sight of her friendship with Shu and to not only lose the race, but her spot on the zodiac. Why do you think there's no Year of the Cat? Apart from its pourquoi-tale aspect, the book presents an opportunity for young readers to learn about the rewards of hard work as well as the merits of forgiveness as thoughtful Shu saves the last cupcake for his wayward kitten friend. Illustrations throughout are action-packed, with big, bright, expressive faces of animals in motion. The closing endpapers present all 12 Chinese zodiac animals, years (not the lunar ones, though), and personality traits ("Horse: You are outgoing and funny! Make sure to finish what you start! 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026").
If the story is not dazzlingly original, it's at least an entry point to learn about one of the ways animals are anthropomorphized in the histories of different cultures. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2330-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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