Sure to banish cold-weather doldrums.
Escargot tires of winter and searches for signs of spring.
Even with a cozy blanket, stacks of good books, and a salad puzzle strewn on the floor, poor Escargot is feeling out of sorts. The tiny snail questions readers: “Does it seem like my eyes are not so bright? / Do my tentacles look droopy? / Perhaps my trail isn’t quite as shimmery as before?” Escargot has “ennui.” Not even hot chocolate sounds good anymore. Escargot decides to dig away at the snow that’s piled up at the front door (readers will realize that the “snow” is in fact a fluffy bunny’s hindquarters) and slide outside to find the first signs of spring. Escargot saunters off. But wait. Escargot leans in to whisper conspiratorially: “Is it just me, or is that snowbank following us?” “Oh lá lá!” Indeed, it’s not snow; it’s a bunny! With sad eyes and bowed tentacles, Escargot sighs, “You probably think the bunny rabbit is adorable. / More adorable than a French snail…” Hanson’s gentle watercolors bring to life a charming verdant landscape. Equal parts insecure and boastful, Escargot embodies the roller coaster of emotions that many youngsters feel on any given day. Not to fear: Flowers are finally found and friendships are formed, but the steady, slimy path of chatty dialogue is, as usual, magnifique.
Sure to banish cold-weather doldrums. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780374314279
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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