 A duck with a limp and a blind chicken embark on an adventure. The duck will guide the chicken and the chicken will support the duck’s wonky leg. They search for a place where their most secret wishes will come true. They encounter a wild forest, a deep canyon, the highest mountain, and they experience many differences of opinion along the way. Their final destination is a hilarious surprise. The book’s philosophical tone and sophisticated vocabulary make the book ideal for a range of readers. Full-color illustrations with bold, dynamic lines and brush strokes are included. mjw |
| Title: Duck’s Backyard Author: Ulrich Hub Illustrator: Jorg Muhle Publisher: Gecko Press, New Zealand Copyright: 2022 Original Language: German Translator: Helena Kirkby Original Title: Lahme Ente, blindes Huhn Original Publisher: Carlsen Verlag GmgH. Hamburg, Germany Original Copyright: 2021 ISBN: 978-1-776574-735 Hardcover pages: 96 Age range: 7-11 Genre: Fiction, Illustrated Chapter Book, Novel Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Berlin Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Frankfurt Awards: 2022 White Raven Award Subjects: Birds, Blindness, Differences, Disabilities, Friendships, Humor, Leadership |
Duck’s Backyard
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When the lighthouse keeper is rescued from the stormy sea by a whale, they become friends. Soon, Blue the whale gets into danger, too. Blue is sick with a stomach full of plastic bags. The lighthouse keeper cleans up the trash, so Blue will feel better. Charming simple text and beautiful watercolor paintings introduce young readers to the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and ocean life. An author’s note includes ways that readers can protect whales and their habitats. mjw
As Sara walks to school in her island town, she sees a lot of birds trapped in a little house with a bright red roof. She is awed by the colored parakeets and she wants the birds to be free. The next day on her walk to school, she discovers that the door to the birdhouse is unlocked, and she opens it wide so the parakeets can take off. Sara is punished when her parents find out what she did. She worries that the freed birds may not know how to feed themselves. She goes to sleep that night and dreams that the birds will find their way. “All will be well, so long as the world has wings to dream.” The realistic illustrations in this story about love for nature and dreams for a better world were rendered in digital media. A publisher’s note gives information about Mauritius and the birds that live there. mjw
The French six-year-old narrator in this gorgeous picture book loves spending time in his Spanish grandfather’s incredible garden. The grandfather, Luis, left Spain because of the terrible war. He didn’t have a chance to be a kid, and he never learned to read and write. Together they watch birds. Luis speaks BIRD language. They also draw what they see in the magnificent garden. Luis is a great cook, too, making his house always smell good. Luis speaks in a vibrant and unique language, hence the title of the book, At the Drop of a Cat, and another phrase like “the apple of his pie.” At the end of the story, Luis gives his grandchild a guitar. Even though Luis cannot read or write, he imparts wonderful knowledge about nature and life to his grandchild. Dreamy, colorful, and rich, plant-filled pictures in watercolor and collage depict their natural world effectively
A young boy walks nine kilometers – over five-and-a-half miles – to school through the mountains and rainforests of Chile. He observes butterflies, birds, and animals, as he crosses a stream and crawls under a barbed wire fence. He likes to walk and count. Endpapers show maps of his route. An opening note explains a bit about the metric system. The vibrant and detailed illustrations are rendered in acrylics and show interesting perspectives in this important book about perseverance and the right to an education. Back matter tells of other walkers around the world – in China, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Uruguay, Venezuela, and other parts of Chile. Some of them walk as much as 30 kilometers round-trip to get to school. Descriptions and photos of birds that live in southern Chile are also included. mjw
This bilingual Spanish-English edition, the first illustrated selection of 70 questions from Pablo Neruda’s original poem (320 questions), The Book of Questions, is a glorious introduction to Neruda’s works for young children. “Why don’t they teach helicopters how to draw honey from the sun? How did the abandoned bicycle find its freedom? Does the earth chirp like a cricket in the symphony of the skies?” These are a few of the unanswerable imaginative questions posed in the text. The book is large and includes fold-out pages. Blues, reds, and yellows against black or white backgrounds created by pencil and ink have a folk art feel. This is a gorgeous book. mjw
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