Review by New York Times Review
These enchanting tales include a magical wolf, a rampaging bunny and the latest from Sandra Boynton. HERE, GEORGE! By Sandra Boynton. Illustrated by George Booth The iconic cartoonist Booth sketched a nervous, lovable-looking dog as a gift to Boynton. She turned it into one of her famously funny, perfectly calibrated board books, spinning a droll story about a pup who won't get up - or so his owners think. 32 pp. Simon & Schuster. $7.99. Ages 0 to 5. CIRCLE ROLLS By Barbara Kanninen. Illustrated by Serge Bloch. In this delightful sneak-lesson in geometry, physics, and helping your friends when they're in a jam, some colorful shapes have a bang-up time when Circle starts rolling. In Bloch's minimalist, loose-limbed pen-and-ink art, tiny people try valiantly to pitch in, too. 32 pp. Phaidon. $16.95. Ages 3 to 5. BIG BUNNY Written and illustrated by Rowboat Watkins. Watkins ("Rude Cakes") conjures another homey yet mind-bending story in this bedtime tale about an enormous rabbit, regularsized carrots, some trucker penguins and bus-driving giraffes. The infectious fun continues to the ending, which will be - trust me - a giant, hilarious surprise to both parents and kids. 32 pp. Chronicle. $16.99. Ages 3 to 7. A HOUSE THAT ONCE WAS By Julie Fogliano. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Two kids walking in the woods find an abandoned house. Who lived there? What happened? Accompanied by Lane's evocative art that suggests layers of history, Fogliano's story turns this childhood scenario into a radiant poem about the mysteries of other people and the wonderfulness of home. 42 pp. Roaring Brook. $18.99. Ages 3 to 7. FOREVER OR A DAY Written and illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. In Jacoby's elegant debut, time is both a riddle and a poem: "Perhaps it is a ghost/ it can come and go/ and you never even notice it was there," she writes. Her soft illustrations, in lovely sunrise, sunset and moonlight colors, capture both wide-open spaces and the enduring bonds of family love. 40 pp. Chronicle. $17.99. Ages 3 to 7. MOON Written and illustrated by Alison Oliver. Oliver's picture book debut channels "Where the Wild Things Are" for the hovered-over modern child. Moon, a little girl with a big to-do list, wonders, "What would it feel like to be free?" A wolf arrives to whisk her away to a magical forest where she plays, listens, howls - and becomes an independent kid, keeping her "wolty ways," including (gasp) standing on a swing. 40 pp. Clarion. $17.99. Ages 4 to 7. JEROME BY HEART By Thomas Scotto. Illustrated by Olivier Tallec. It's rare to find a book about friendship between boys this heartfelt. His parents scoff at the intensity of it all, but Raphael wants to spend every minute with Jerome - his school-trip buddy, his defender against mean kids, the friend who always makes him laugh. Both the words and the sweet illustrations capture the spirit behind childhood bonds. 32 pp. Enchanted Lion. $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. RED SKY AT NIGHT Written and illustrated by Elly MacKay Each page of this beautifully designed book has an old-fashioned saying about the weather ("When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that's warm"). With Mac Kay's dreamy cut-paper collage art featuring two siblings exploring outdoors, the old-fashioned approach to weather is oddly reassuring. 40 pp. Tundra. $17.99. Ages 4 to 8. RESCUE & JESSICA: A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP By Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes. Illustrated by Scott Magoon. Kensky, who lost both legs after the Boston Marathon bombing, despaired until Rescue, a service dog, arrived to help her navigate life with prosthetics. This sensitively told version- written with her husband, who also lost a leg in the bombing - highlights her relationship with the gallant Rescue. 32 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. Ages 5 to 9. THE DRAGON SLAYER: FOLKTALES FROM LATIN AMERICA Written and illustrated by Jaime Hernandez Hernandez, one of the brothers behind the Love and Rockets comic strip, adapts and updates three Latin American folk tales into a graphic-novel format. The buoyant results will delight all ages. A kitchen maid slays a dragon and marries a prince; a vain woman marries a mouse, with bad results; a boy cast out as lazy proves the logic of his approach. There's also fascinating historical material on the origins of each tale. 48 pp. TOON Books. $16.95. Ages 6 to 12. MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor of the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 30, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Two children and their father rise early and set off in their boat, gear in tow. As they sail, fish, swim, and camp out, they observe the conditions around them. When the skies darken and the wind whips up, they hurry home, arriving just before a downpour. Here art and words reveal different but parallel narratives: the plot unfolds entirely through the illustrations, while the text consists of weather sayings. The family's day is sunny (When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that's warm), but while camping, they note the moon (Ring around the moon, rain will come soon), and their hurried trip home is full of ominous signs (Cats leap about and chase their tails, to warn of thunderstorms and gales). The pleasing artwork is comprised of cut paper and ink figures, photographed on a miniature stage, creating a 3-D effect. Earth tones predominate, with red used to focus attention on the boat and skies. Appended with a note about the science behind these sayings, this makes a perfect fit for primary weather units.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
MacKay (Waltz of the Snowflakes) once again relies on inventive, diorama-style artwork to create a moving story. Here, she pairs rhyming folk wisdom about the weather with glowing spreads that follow a boy and a girl on an overnight adventure with their grandfather, first fishing from a boat, then camping by a roaring fire, and finally running home just before a storm breaks. Each scene is an atmospheric photograph of a miniature, three-dimensional set that MacKay has created from ink drawings and cut-paper figures. The subject of weather's forces and intriguing visual perspectives, such as a view above and below the water's surface, invite wonder about the natural world. The meaning in a few couplets is fuzzy, but the loving, multiethnic family at the center of this gentle intergenerational outing offers a strong focal point for a unique introduction to weather concepts. Ages 3-7. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-A father spends time with his children, teaching them how to predict the weather by watching for clues from the world around them. This is a picture book of concise weather-related sayings and idioms. Each couplet is full of wisdom and gives practical advice on what to be aware of in our surroundings, such as "When the dew is on the grass, no rain will come to pass" and "When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that's warm." At the book's end, a resourceful section explains each saying in detail. MacKay's meticulously created paper dioramas are gorgeous. The use of shadows and light are exquisite and readers' perception of depth is almost three-dimensional. VERDICT A wonderful resource for nature lovers and for any classroom, especially for art and science curricula.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Stunning art--photographs of paper dioramas in which two children and a caregiver sail through and frolic beside luminous seascapes--adds a narrative element to this collection of weather lore. Historical weather-prediction sayings in rhyme are each based on observations in nature: "Ring around the moon, rain will come soon. / Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning!" Back matter explains each bit of "Weather Wisdom." Bib. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Paired with cut-paper diorama illustrations, folk sayings that predict weather become a story in this picture book.Author/illustrator MacKay begins with the saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight," and the accompanying illustration shows a familyan older man and two young childrenpeering out the window of their cozy house into a red sunset. MacKay creates her illustrations by using cutout paper drawings placed in dioramas, lit, and then photographed. This technique achieves remarkable luminosity and a three-dimensional aspect, with the overall impression being that of looking into a magical stage set. The drawback, though, is that while MacKay does link story elements within the illustrations (the children appear throughout), the individual pictures still don't agreeably mesh because the light in each one is different, giving a subtle, disparate impression. The organization of weather-related folk sayings into a story of a family sailing, fishing, camping, and then heading home as a storm threatens is original and works well. Too, it may nudge readers to become more curious about their natural world (backmatter gives explanations behind the sayings). And the illustrationsindividuallyare mesmerizing. Both children and caregiver have beige skin and tightly curled hair, suggesting mixed heritage.Distinctive, luminous illustrations delight the eye, although visually the story lacks complete cohesion. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
