An interesting idea suffers from an unimaginative presentation.
When a pirate girl receives a mysterious note offering a treasure hunt from her grandfather, she leaps at the opportunity. The girl conquers mountains and dark caves before encountering lightning, sharks, and a shipwreck. Paralleling her journey, the book describes the steps one would take to make an origami hat, boat and shirt. At last she arrives on an island and digs up a treasure that consists of a congratulatory note from the grandfather and a real pirate shirt. Instructions at the back of the book show how to create your own origami shirt with steps clearly laid out. Alas, text-heavy pages weigh down what should be a bouncy, imaginative story. The digital style that serves Hilary Leung so well in his surreal Ninja Cowboy Bear series comes across as merely flat and uninteresting when paired with a story written for the sole purpose of helping kids memorize folding steps. No surprise if child readers are disappointed that the shirts they’re making cannot be worn like the one found in the story. Though certain to find an audience where origami books are all the rage, this promising idea suffers from a dull follow-through.
To call this origami tale an “adventure” is a stretch to say the least. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-660-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
Did you like this book?
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
GET IT
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Did you like this book?
Superheroes deal with their emotions.
What happens when the empowered have a terrible day? Becker posits that while they could go on destructive sprees and wreak havoc, the caped crusaders and men and women of steel harness their energies and direct it in constructive ways. Little readers filled with energy and emotion may learn to draw similar conclusions, but the author doesn’t hammer home the message. The author has much more fun staging scenes of chaos and action, and Kaban clearly has a ball illustrating them. Superheroes could use laser vision to burn down forests and weather powers to freeze beachgoers. They could ignore crime sprees and toss vehicles across state lines. These hypothetical violent spectacles are softened by the cartoonish stylizations and juxtaposed with pages filled with heroic, “true” efforts such as rounding up criminals and providing fun at an amusement park. The illustrations are energetic and feature multicultural heroes. The vigorous illustrations make this a read for older children, as the busyness could overwhelm very little ones. While the book’s formula recalls How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and its many sequels, the relative scarcity of superhero picture books means there’s a place on the shelf for it.
An action-packed romp. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1394-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
