October 21, 2013
“CRACK!” Using its cute little head as a battering ram, a killdeer chick emerges from its egg, and on long spindly legs asserts its bubbly personality: “I’ve studied me, and oh, my word,” writes Esbaum, “I am one amazing bird!” With a “Kil-DEE!/ Kil-DEE!/ Kil-DEE-DEE-DEE!” the bird scoots around its idyllic habitat, literally grabbing lunch with Mama—“Snails and beetles,/ worms (a bunch!)”— and meeting with an even newer-born sister (“Don’t worry, I know EVERYTHING!”). Although the singsong rhyming can veer toward cutesiness, Esbaum (Tom’s Tweet) captures the egocentric worldview and inexhaustible energy of a bird toddler while presenting a refreshingly species-specific narrative. But the real attraction is Corace’s (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) ink, watercolor, and pencil drawings, a nicely calibrated mix of cheery spot illustrations and more theatrical spreads. The hand-drawn lines and appliqué-like use of colors create a rustic, stylized playfulness that invigorates the rural setting, while conveying the sense of a charismatic young hero-in-the-making. Ages 2–4. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
November 15, 2013
A killdeer chick bursts from its egg raring to go. Pecking its way out of its shell in great good spirits, this little plover is seeing everything for the first time. "My feet are verrrry far away. / And WHOA. / The world looks BIG today." As the chick explores, Esbaum's verse rhymes and rollicks: "[O]nce my down is fluffed and dry, / I take off running. / Don't know why!" It zooms through fields, circling cows and trees; it gazes into a pond, figures out the concept of reflections, describes its own features and breaks into song. Mama pauses it for lunch but not for long: "Uh-oh. Gotta run again. / See you later, / don't know when. / I'm learning--quickly!--how to steer / while darting here // and here / and here." Using ink, pencil and soft watercolors, Corace shows the killdeer chick from very close up and from far away across a landscape, emphasizing how quickly it zips back and forth. Predominant tertiary colors with only small splashes of bright primaries emphasize the natural environment and balance the text's high energy. Certain biological discoveries will amuse young readers ("I stop because...look out below! / Something's falling from my... / Oh"), while adults will appreciate this baby bird's similarity to human toddlers. Invigorating and ebullient. (Picture book. 2-4)
COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2014
PreS-Gr 1-An enthusiastic killdeer chick hatches ("Ta-da!") and discovers what he can do in the wondrous world around him. "I've studied me, and oh, my word. I am one amazing bird! This stripe is handsome, don't you think? And look! My eyes can...blink blink blink!" While the rhymes occasionally feel forced, the overall rhythm is satisfying and energetic. There is even a lovely surprise at the end: another chick being hatched. The watercolor and ink illustrations show just the right amount of detail in the chick's surroundings and cheerfully portray his delight in his appearance and accomplishments.-Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2014
Preschool-K A killdeer chick bursts from its shell with a CRACK! and sets off to explore the big wide world. From the get-go, Esbaum's text crackles with energy: Hoo-boy, that shell was getting tight. / I shake myself. / Look left. Look right. / I feel my legs, all folded up. / They're wobbly. Will the hold me. . . ? / Yup. The chick sets off running, feeling its feathers ruffle in the breeze and seeing its reflection in a pond. Along the way, the chick notices things about its body, from lots of teensy feathers to blinking eyes and a long, sharp beak. The chick is full of enthusiasm and pride, much like a human toddler. Corace's ink, watercolor, and pencil illustrations add plenty of charm, as our chick teeters on long, long legs and passes everything from tortoises to butterflies. In the end, when the chick's mother calls her little one back with a kil-DEE-DEE-DEE!, there's a surprise waiting: a newly hatched baby sister. Rollicking from start to finish, this has oomph is spadesenough to match bouncing storytime attendees.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2014
"A patch of light! / One final peck. / I give a shove and s-t-r-e-t-c-h my neck." With some unusual visual perspectives, the earth-toned ink, pencil, and watercolor illustrations depict an infant killdeer bird pushing out of its eggshell and frolicking in its new world. The first-person conversational rhymes chronicling the enthusiastic fledgling's discoveries are often awkward and lumbering.
(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)