A charming but slightly confusing tale of finding companionship in unexpected ways.
A lonely princess makes a friend.
Bored of playing in her room with her sibling, Prince Baby, Rani wanders the palace looking for a playmate. When she finds her mother busy with the transportation minister, her father occupied with the kitchen staff, and the prime minister involved with “life-changing, stupendous tasks,” the princess decides to take matters into her own hands. After asking the reluctant Prime Minister to pack her a picnic, Rani grabs her baby brother and heads to the beach (in the background, Rani’s security detail attempts to surreptitiously keep tabs on them). At the shoreline, Rani tries and fails to build a sand castle. When a little girl asks Rani if the princess knows what she’s doing, Rani challenges the stranger to a sand castle–building contest. What begins as a competition ends up as a collaboration, and the two become friends. Rani is a spunky protagonist whose loneliness will be relatable to many readers. However, the girls’ transition from competitors to friends is a bit abrupt; similarly, Rani’s initial response to the new girl is inexplicably hostile. While the pictures are lushly detailed and Rani’s security guards’ antics are a hilarious pictorial running gag, the illustrations often swallow up the tiny text, making it difficult to read. Characters are brown-skinned and cued as South Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A charming but slightly confusing tale of finding companionship in unexpected ways. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9780358536772
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Sentimental but effective.
A book aimed at easing separation anxiety and reinforcing bonds.
Twins Liza and Jeremy awaken during a thunderstorm and go to their mother for comfort. She reassures them that they’re safe and says, “You know we’re always together, no matter what,” when they object to returning to bed. She then explains that when she was a child her mother told her about the titular “Invisible String,” encouraging them to envision it as a link between them no matter what. “People who love each other are always connected by a very special String made of love,” she tells them, reinforcing this idea as they proceed to imagine various scenarios, fantastic and otherwise, that might cause them to be separated in body. She also affirms that this string can “reach all the way to Uncle Brian in heaven” and that it doesn’t go away if she’s angry with them or when they have conflicts. As they go to bed, reassured, the children, who present white, imagine their friends and diverse people around the world connected with invisible strings, promoting a vision of global unity and empathy. While the writing often feels labored and needlessly repetitive, Lew-Vriethoff’s playful cartoon art enhances and lightens the message-driven text, which was originally published in 2000 with illustrations by Geoff Stevenson.
Sentimental but effective. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-48623-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
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