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PENGUIN ON VACATION

Lesson learned: The magic of friendship does not depend on where you are or what you are doing—it is about being together...

This delightful companion to Penguin and Pinecone (2012) presents another parable of friendship, this time with an exotic tropical crab.

Penguin is tired of snow. Yearning for something exciting, he decides to head for a sandy beach. He packs his bag and floats north on an iceberg. But this new adventure isn’t quite what he expected. He can’t ski or sled or even skate on sand. When a curious red crab sees Penguin’s distress, he asks, “Are you lost?” “No, I’m on vacation,” says the frustrated and bewildered bird. Crab takes Penguin under his claw and shows him the ropes. The joys of the beach become clear to Penguin with Crab’s friendship, as they play the sunny days away together. All vacations come to an end, though, and it is soon time for Penguin to return home. But now Crab needs a vacation! The new friends switch roles, allowing Penguin to teach Crab all the wintry wonders of his previously boring home. With her signature thick lines, pure colors and scratchy textures, Yoon creates a beach backdrop to showcase Penguin’s tender personality. When the book begins, perceptive readers might recognize a tinge of loneliness in Penguin, and they will see how having a friend makes even the familiar seem more exciting.

Lesson learned: The magic of friendship does not depend on where you are or what you are doing—it is about being together and learning from each other. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-8027-3397-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Walker

Review Posted Online: March 5, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

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

Awards & Accolades

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  • New York Times Bestseller


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THE PIGEON HAS TO GO TO SCHOOL!

From the Pigeon series

Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
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  • New York Times Bestseller


  • IndieBound Bestseller

All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.

Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.

Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 2, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019

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