A splendid springboard to both STEM and art activities.
The water cycle gets the anthropomorphic treatment.
When Little Blue breaks off from his parents—a single iceberg with two heads—he’s swept away by the surrounding waves. Unsure if he’ll ever return, Blue drifts farther and farther away, witnessing snow and eventually finding companionship: fish, the moon, and boats, which help him learn about winds and currents. But Blue discovers he’s changing. As the sky warms, he grows ever smaller until he melts into the surrounding water; unable to help him, his friends leave. Then Blue evaporates, condenses, and becomes a cloud. In the sky, he meets new friends who help orient him toward home; on the way, Blue changes again, bringing about a happy reunion. This tale is told in easily comprehensible terms for the youngest readers and listeners. Blue is an accessible, sweet character who brings emotional depth to an important science concept. Dazzling illustrations, created with cut paper, colored pencil, and white ink, will hold kids’ rapt attention while they hear, wide-eyed, about Blue’s destiny. Illustrations aptly feature shades of vivid blues, but eye-popping pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples also emblazon these pages. Blue and his parents are expressive even though their faces are depicted merely with light-blue dots. An author’s note explains the water cycle and climate change, and it offers tips to protect the planet. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48.7% of actual size.)
A splendid springboard to both STEM and art activities. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4423-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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
Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers.
A few familiar friends explore gratitude.
Daywalt’s crayons have observed many holidays, from Christmas to Earth Day. On Thanksgiving, these anthropomorphic school supplies wax (pun intended) poetic about their favorite things to draw. “Blue is thankful for blueberries.” (The accompanying illustration depicts the stubby crayon leaping into a pile of the fruit.) Black, on a page topped by dark scribbles, “is thankful for night skies.” In an aside, Black adds, “Big, beautiful night skies I get to color in all by myself!” (Blue is perfectly fine with this.) Pink pipes up with “Three glorious words. Amazon. River. Dolphins”—which may spur readers to research these creatures. The tale turns a bit meta, too. Teal is thankful for family—both Blue and Green. Red, surrounded by hearts, is thankful for Neon Green Highlighter, who was accidentally dropped into the crayon box—a “dreamboat” for sure. Recognizable jokes from previous works make appearances; these callbacks will delight staunch fans, though others will find them tiring. Standard cheer and platitudes abound; the crayons are ultimately most grateful for each other.
Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780593690574
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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