Review by New York Times Review
A talking tiger, a crocodile doctor, a sad pair of socks and more in these stories to fire up a kid's imagination. LITTLE DOCTOR AND THE FEARLESS BEAST Written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore. Little Doctor is a specialist in crocodiles, as we can see from the enormous green patients who flock to her examination room (which, shhhh, may just be a backyard office). She ministers to them with deep concentration, applying long bandages and tender, expert care - and cures them all except a toughie called Big Mean, who refuses to unclasp her jaws. There's a scary trip inside the beast's mouth, and a happy ending involving the adorable hatchlings Big Mean was of course carrying in there. With its softly detailed, virtuoso art and a perfectly wrought story full of heart and respect for the imaginative rules of children's play, this debut shines. 32 pp. Owlkids. $17.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME By Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi. In this charming book of linked poems - the story of a pup who speaks, but only in verse - the distinguished children's poet Green-field glides gracefully between rhyme, free verse, haiku and rap. A boy named Jace becomes the dog's owner. He names him Thinker ("I'm deep and I'm a poet," the dog warns. "A cute name's not O.K.") and the two have back-and-forth chats about life. On every page, Abdollahi's collaged illustrations bring the characters to life with a soulful flair. 32 pp. Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks. $15.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE By Isabel Quintero. Illustrated by Zeke Peña. Southern California is home to almost 24 million, yet few picture books show us life there, or tell stories about its vibrant immigrant communities. This delightful book bursts into the gap: A girl named Daisy takes a spin on the back of her carpenter papi's motorcycle, greeting friends and relatives, noting historical murals and stopping at his work site. "Even in all that noise, my papi's voice touches everything," she says. There's no earthshaking story, just the sweet rumble of family love, neighborhood pride, the dignity of work and the joy of a fast ride. Yet Quintero's warm, economical text and the desert-sunset tones of Pena's comics-inflected art feel like a revelation. 32 pp. Kokila/Penguin Random House. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) VAMOS! LET'S GO TO THE MARKET By Raul the Third. Like "My Papi Has a Motorcycle," this book opens a welcome and welcoming door into Latino culture. Raul the Third also offers zany humor and low-key language lessons (assorted Spanish words are translated in the margins). Little Lobo, a nattily dressed wolf, makes deliveries to a marketplace of artisans, entertainers and vendors. "Everywhere people are going to work. Everyone has a different job," from puppeteer to pinata maker. With an array of interesting creatures and vignettes crammed into the illustrations, the effect is a high-spirited hybrid of Richard Scarry and Mexican comics. 48 pp. Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $14.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) SOCK STORY By CK Smouha. Illustrated by Eleonora Marton. Two socks, a pair, tumble around in the washing machine, doing tricks like "double axel triple flip" and annoying the larger items. It's all fun and games until the spin cycle, when they're separated - and one takes refuge in the pocket of a non-color-fast red shirt. Eek! Can an unmatching duo still be partners? Those raising a style-conscious child will know the answer these days is a resounding yes. Still, Smouha and Marton wring genuine suspense and edgy humor out of this clever, colorful tale. 32 pp. Cicada. $14.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THE HIDEOUT By Susanna Mattiangeli. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Nothing beats a secret place, and even better if, as in this enthralling story, it's hidden in a public space. Someone's calling Hannah, but she's decided to go live inside a bush in the park, wearing a feather cape, making a fire and befriending an Odd Furry Creature. Or did she just draw the whole thing? The homage here to "Where the Wild Things Are" may be subtle, but it brings a smile. 32 pp. Abrams. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) POWER UP By Seth Fishman. Illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world" for a day Fishman and Greenberg ("A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars") turn something kids instinctively understand - the energy in our bodies - into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep. 40 pp. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) CAMP TIGER By Susan Choi. Illustrated by John Rocco. Summer's almost over, and the narrator of this sweetly mysterious first children's book by the literary novelist Choi is dreading the start of first grade. A family camping trip brings him face to face with a tiger - one that talks. With the tiger's help, the boy catches a fish and even, in a stunning wordless sequence, ventures into the woods at night to leap across rocks and howl at the moon. Rocco's ("Blackout") art gives an emotionally astute story even more depth. 40 pp. Putnam. $17.99. (Ages 5 to 8.) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor for the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [May 12, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
A young boy, his older brother, and their parents head to the woods for their annual end-of-summer weekend camping trip. Looking forward to fishing, hiking, canoeing, and observing the usual woodland critters, they are taken aback when a small, thin tiger enters their campsite and asks if they have an extra tent he can use. Though the boy is anxious about entering first grade upon their return home, a talking tiger doesn't faze him at all. Over the weekend, the whole family spends time with the animal, but it's the youngest who forms an immediate bond. As he draws stripes on his face and explores with his new companion, the heretofore apprehensive child discovers a new boldness. Caldecott Honor Book author-illustrator Rocco's stunning paintings feature a range of perspectives and a variety of sizes, including vignettes and single- and double-page spreads. They are filled with the warm browns and lush greens of the forest and the beautiful blues of the lake and the night sky. The tiger's fur appears soft and warm, and the realistic water looks cool and refreshing. Several illustrations are placed on a pure white backdrop, allowing the paintings to leap off the pages. Youngsters will thrill at the possibilities presented in Pulitzer finalist Choi's tale, which combines fantasy with the everyday.--Maryann Owen Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Making her children's book debut, Pulitzer Prize finalist Choi (American Woman) pairs with Caldecott Honor-Award illustrator Rocco (Noah Builds an Ark) to deliver a numinous story about a family camping trip. On the way to a remote campsite at Mountain Pond, the narrator warily ruminates about starting first grade. But his negative thoughts dissipate when a smallish tiger emerges from the woods and asks if the family has an extra tent, explaining, "I have a cave, but I still feel cold." The serene animal seems to cast a palliative spell: after the father unhesitatingly sets up a second tent, the boy follows the tiger inside and, in one of Rocco's many evocative pictures, the two curl up together ("He smells like sunshine and pine needles"). The animal guides the family as they hike and canoe, adventures portrayed in stunning panoramas, including one in which the family stands on a high overlook alongside the majestic tiger. In a final, dreamlike adventure, the animal takes the boy on a stargazing expedition, cementing a bond that's reinforced in the conclusion to this resonant tale of family connectedness, burgeoning independence, and embracing the new and unknown. Author's agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit. Illustrator's agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. Ages 4-6. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A tiger joins a young boy and his family as they enjoy a camping weekend in the mountains. It creeps out of the woods while they are making camp and asks whether they have an extra tent where he can take shelter from the cold. The boy and tiger spend the night together, and the creature remains throughout the weekend, even joining the family on a fishing excursion. On the last night, the animal takes the boy out in the canoe. They lie on their backs, gazing at the stars, until his parents lift the youngster into their tent. Alert readers will notice several hints that the tiger is an imaginary comfort creature, conjured up by the young narrator who is afraid of going into first grade and becoming more independent like his older brother. The tiger is small and "starts acting like a cat-a more regular cat." The boy even tells the animal that tigers don't live in the mountains. The mixed media illustrations are stunning. Rocco's cover image of the tiger, yellow eyes staring out at readers, is so huge its head seems to form a road for the hiking family. On one spread, the boy and tiger are curled up together, one large C encircling a smaller one. Back at home, wearing tiger-striped pajamas, the boy draws his imaginary friend "before [he] forget[s]." VERDICT This beautiful paring of text and illustrations is an excellent choice for group sharing and can spark discussion about ways to cope with new situations.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2019. 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 Kirkus Book Review
A little boy finds his inner tiger in this lyrical picture-book debut by Choi, an award-winning author for adults.Narrated in a thoughtful, meandering voice that mimics a long scenic drive into the mountains, a boy, his older brother, and their parents travel to a camping site at Mountain Pond, which is "like a mirror in the trees." Throughout the trip the boy vocalizes his apprehensions about growing up and becoming a first-grader, saying he "liked kindergarten" and misses "things my mom used to do for me." Suddenly everyone is struck silent when a tiger approaches from the temperate forest, asking for an extra tent to sleep in. The boy and the tiger quickly connect. Soon the tiger becomes the personification of the growing inner courage of the boy, participating in all the activities. The boy accomplishes new milestones: catching his first fish, steering the canoe well, and striking out on his own. Rocco provides illustrations with a cool color scheme and dramatic details. Elongated sentences demand that readers linger on each page drinking in every detail of the tiger's striking portraits. There is a slight disconnect in tone between the whimsy of the text and the realism of the illustrations, but it is a small price to pay. The boys appear Asian or biracial Asian/white.A multilayered coming-of-age story filled with exquisitely executed art. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
