Mini Reviews [24]

The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, 

Brandon James Scott (Illustrator)

Expected publication: March 12th 2019

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Who says dogs can't fly? Meet Zora: a dog with a big dream and an even bigger personality. All Zora wants to do is learn how to fly so she can catch that pesky squirrel in her yard. But try as she might to prove to her friend Tully--a skeptical cat--that dogs truly can fly, nothing seems to work. Until Zora finds the right motivation, that is. Kathy Stinson's charming story of perseverance is beautifully brought to life by Brandon James Scott's exuberant and wonderfully expressive illustration. Touching on themes of optimism and determination in the face of failure, The Dog Who Wanted to Fly is a book anyone--even a cat--will love.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I'm not really sure how to review this book, since I think there was something wrong with my review copy. The words didn't match the illustrations, and for most of the book I thought Tully was the squirrel instead of the cat. It makes sense now that I've read it (and reading the synopsis beforehand would have helped, too), but I was very confused for awhile. After re-reading the story with my new knowledge, it read a little better, but the formatting was still slightly off.

Despite the technical difficulties, I did enjoy reading this one. Zora desperately wants to fly, and she tries everything she can think of to get off the ground. She asks questions and makes observations that a child would make, and that could lead to some interesting conversations. (The confusing layout meant I wasn't able to read this one with the kids, because I had to keep flipping around to match the words with their illustrations.)

Speaking of the illustrations, they were wonderful! I think they really complimented the story. However, I do not think this is a book I'll be reading again in the future, although I would be interested in seeing how a finished copy compared to my review copy. It has a good message about not giving up, but I felt like there was something missing from the overall story.

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Three Little Birds by Lysa Mullady,

Kyle Reed (Contributor)

Expected publication: March 5th 2019

Blue'sfeelingsarehurtwhenhe'snotinvitedtofindwormswithRedandYellow.SoBlueimpulsivelystartsarumor.Beforeheknowsit,hislittlefibhasspiraledoutofcontrol,andallthebirdsarecaughtupinthebigdrama.CanBluemakethingsrightbeforeit'stoolate?IncludesaNotetoParents,Caregivers,andProfessionalswithmoreinformationondealingwithgossipandhelpingchildrenbuildpositiverelationships.Synopsis (via Goodreads): Blue's feelings are hurt when he's not invited to find worms with Red and Yellow. So Blue impulsively starts a rumor. Before he knows it, his little fib has spiraled out of control, and all the birds are caught up in the big drama. Can Blue make things right before it's too late? Includes a Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals with more information on dealing with gossip and helping children build positive relationships. 

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

I'm sorry the image is so blurry! It's the cover that both NetGalley and Goodreads had. Also, I think the formatting for this one was wonky as well, so the story felt scattered and I had to try and piece the information together. 

At the start of the book, Blue is offended because Red didn't invite him somewhere, but we don't see any interactions between the two until the end. Instead we start with a despondent Blue, and no real understanding of why he's upset. His disappointment felt forced, and I'm not sure why he felt the need to lie at all. Yes, his feelings were hurt, but I think his emotions were poorly handled. Was he embarrassed about not being invited? Why did he make up a lie about Yellow?

I believe I understand the point the author was trying to make, but I didn't really like the approach. Blue lied to hide his hurt feelings, and his lie affected others. Even when he's confronted later on, he chooses to lie first before admitting the truth. The other birds involved seemed to escalate the situation, and did nothing to actually advance the story.

Honestly, I don't like the message Three Little Birds sends to children. First, Blue lies and then allows his friends to search out the two birds he lied about. Second, the other birds start telling everyone there is going to be a fight, so a large group gathers to see what's going on. Third, when Red confronts Blue about the lie, he was very aggressive about it. 

All of it really rubbed me the wrong way, and I believe Blue's feelings should have been handled differently. We shouldn't want to encourage children to gather an audience for an altercation, and we shouldn't want to promote gossip and rumors, which is essentially what the other birds did.

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When You're Scared by Andree Poulin,

Joffre Veronique (Illustrator)

Expected publication: March 15th 2019

Synopsis (via Goodreads): It's a bright and beautiful day at the lake where a boy and his mother are camping. The boy is just a little scared of jumping into the water. At the same time, not too far away, a hungry bear cub is a little scared of diving deep into a dumpster, where tasty snacks await.

Later, when the boy encounters a distraught mama bear sniffing around the dumpster, he's very scared. But so is her bear cub, who is trapped inside! Bold, graphic artwork moves the narrative along in this mostly-wordless book full of sound effects and simple variations on a single phrase full of so many meanings ("He was scared"). Parallel stories of the mother and son, and mama and cub, come together when the campers, despite being scared, help rescue the cub from the dumpster.

This simple, moving story invites readers to observe expressions, body language, and details hidden in the illustrations to follow the narrative. It's a sweet summer read that normalizes fear and encourages acting with courage and compassion--even when you're scared.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

I love books that can tell a story without words, but I think When You're Scared would have benefited from more dialogue -- even grunting, snuffling bear sounds. It was like looking through a photo album and having no idea where the pictures were taken. You can appreciate them for what they are, but you don't really know the stories behind the images.

When the young boy takes garbage to a dumpster, he quickly flees to find his mom when he encounters a large bear. However, he and his mother immediately try to find something that will help the baby bear, but the boy didn't know the small bear was trapped. He didn't stick around long enough to find out. If the boy had heard scratching, or even the baby bear's crying, that might have made more sense. Instead, he and his mother find a solution for a problem they didn't know they had.

I think this book had the potential to be more than it was.

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The Whole Wide World and Me by Toni Yuly

Expected publication: February 19th 2019

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A bold, joyful picture book for the very young shows that the natural world is full of wonders -- and each of us is a small part of that.

Like a flower in a field . . .
Like a cloud in the sky . . .
So am I.

Just as a pebble is part of a mountain, just as a wave is part of the sea, so, too, is every one of us part of something bigger. With bright collage illustrations and a simple, lyrical text, acclaimed author-illustrator Toni Yuly invites readers to celebrate our relationship to the natural world.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

The Whole Wide World and Me is a quick read with interesting pictures, but I don't think it really says anything. The young girl compares herself to a flower, a cloud, a rock rolling down the hill -- all things that occur with very few people noticing. Based on the synopsis, it was a book about being a small part of a larger world, although I wish the focus of the story had been a little more obvious. I don't think it's something children will easily understand, and isn't that the point of a children's book?