Sweet as, well, honey, if a bit disingenuous.
A young bear wakes from hibernation with just one thought in mind: honey.
He’s hungry—it’s been months since he’s had any—and his surroundings conspire to remind him of honey: the warm, golden light of the sun; the clear, flowing water of a nearby stream; the delicious scent of a blossoming fruit tree. He’s not yet 2, and with the persistence of a toddler he returns over and over to the hollow tree where a bee colony lives only to find that it’s “too soon for honey.” Framed, energetic watercolors show him making do, finding nourishment in grasses, pine cones, and berries as the spring turns to summer. But he keeps returning to the hive only to find that it’s still “too soon” and even earning himself a sting on the snoot. “ ‘Ouch!’ (Busy bees don’t like to be bothered.)” Stein’s figures are gestural, loose, simple lines delineating his protagonist, whose round head and simplified body will foster an easy relationship with young readers. Eventually the bear loses himself in the delights of summer before a buzz reminds him and he is finally able to enjoy the “warm, golden, sweet, clear, slowly flowing, spicy, aromatic, sparkling with sunlight—‘Honey!’ ” Stein appropriately sidesteps the all-too-frequent mistake of depicting the hive as an external, hanging globe—but he also elides the near-total destruction a real bear would likely wreak upon the tree in pursuit of the honey.
Sweet as, well, honey, if a bit disingenuous. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-3786-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Let these crayons go back into their box.
The Crayons return to celebrate Easter.
Six crayons (Red, Orange, Yellow, Esteban, who is green and wears a yellow cape, White, and Blue) each take a shape and scribble designs on it. Purple, perplexed and almost angry, keeps asking why no one is creating an egg, but the six friends have a great idea. They take the circle decorated with red shapes, the square adorned with orange squiggles “the color of the sun,” the triangle with yellow designs, also “the color of the sun” (a bit repetitious), a rectangle with green wavy lines, a white star, about which Purple remarks: “DID you even color it?” and a rhombus covered with blue markings and slap the shapes onto a big, light-brown egg. Then the conversation turns to hiding the large object in plain sight. The joke doesn’t really work, the shapes are not clear enough for a concept book, and though colors are delineated, it’s not a very original color book. There’s a bit of clever repartee. When Purple observe that Esteban’s green rectangle isn’t an egg, Esteban responds, “No, but MY GOSH LOOK how magnificent it is!” Still, that won’t save this lackluster book, which barely scratches the surface of Easter, whether secular or religious. The multimedia illustrations, done in the same style as the other series entries, are always fun, but perhaps it’s time to retire these anthropomorphic coloring implements. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Let these crayons go back into their box. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-62105-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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