This adventure offers an effective brain exercise in graphic storytelling for young readers—but some may wish for more...
A bespectacled rabbit gets over his fear of bears and finds a new friend in this picture book.
Rabbit is afraid of a lot of things but his worst nightmare of all is bears. When Rabbit gets caught in a snare, he’s terrified that the bear coming to his rescue is actually going to eat him. Bear’s sharp claws make short work of the snare, and his long, pointy teeth scare off a fox, but Rabbit is still suspicious. It isn’t until Bear reveals his own phobia—spiders—that Rabbit realizes his new pal isn’t scary after all. Young readers may be familiar with the theme of appearances being deceiving and frightening-looking creatures turning out to be benevolent. But Lukidis’ (A Real Live Pet!, 2018, etc.) clever framework that allows Rabbit a moment to be a hero, despite his trepidation, is a nice touch. The story, which features an all-male cast, is told in approachable vocabulary. The tale sometimes relies on the cartoonish illustrations to relay the action, including when Rabbit enters Bear’s den to eat carrot stew. But the narrative never fully explains what causes Rabbit to suddenly scream at Bear: “You brought me here to cook me in your stew!” Hannon’s (I Love to Watch You Play, 2019, etc.) images, with full backgrounds, provide enough hints to make filling in the gaps possible.
This adventure offers an effective brain exercise in graphic storytelling for young readers—but some may wish for more details.Pub Date: July 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9814938-9-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Whale Press LLC
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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