Review by New York Times Review
The killdeer chick who narrates this cheerful book is a chipper fellow. From the moment he hatches, he's on the move, learning about himself and his world. "These legs just want to run-run-run!/First thing I'm learning?/Running's fun." His Narcissus moment, when he discovers his reflection in the farm pond, is particularly sweet : "I've studied me, and oh, my word./I am one amazing bird!" Corace's ink-and-watercolor illustrations suggest he's not just preening. NEST Written and illustrated by Jorey Hurley. 40 pp. Paula Wiseman/ Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) Hurley's silk-screen-like images of American robins building nests, hopping away from curious cats and gathering red berries show the influence of her work in textile design. Each scene illustrates a single word ("snuggle," "feast," "hatch"), making it good practice for young readers. The rich, flat colors and stylized pictures, which hint of Marimekko and William Morris, are certain to please aesthetically-minded children and their adults. SAY HELLO LIKE THIS! Written and illustrated by Mary Murphy. 32 pp. Candlewick. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) In a companion to "A Kiss Like This," chicks, puppies, foals and other young creatures greet each other with enthusiasm, mooing and woofing and flapping and clucking as if they had just arrived at a barnyard cocktail party. Sturdy, glossy pages show the animals eyeing each other with friendly interest; flipping vertical flaps reveals the beasts in the midst of their raucous hellos. Murphy's rich pastel washes and thick, painterly black outlines give "Say Hello Like This!" a prettiness that's matched by an exuberant typeface new readers should enjoy deciphering. The book may make you think of the nicest possible greeting card, which in a way, it is. A BOOK OF BABIES Written and illustrated by II Sung Na. 24 pp. Knopf. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) If the Seoul-born artist Il Sung Na hasn't already charmed you with "Hide & Seek" and "A Book of Sleep," his latest book, with scenes of animal families in their native ponds, African savannas and Arctic ice floes, will probably do the trick. Wide-eyed parents gaze lovingly at their feathered, furry and scaly babies in what may be a slightly sweetened version of, say, reptile life. But reality has its say when a herd of candy-colored sea horses emerge from their astonished daddy's pouch. CUCKOO! Written and illustrated by Fiona Roberton. 40 pp. Putnam. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) Hatched among birds of a different feather, Cuckoo bravely goes "in search of someone who could understand him." The plot is a mite familiar - in children's books, it's not unusual to be born, as Andrew Solomon puts it, "far from the tree." Roberton's illustrations, though, are totally her own. Drawn with pencil-sharp precision, Cuckoo is an irresistibly cute, roundbodied little bird with a jauntily striped belly and a resilient attitude. What family wouldn't want him in their nest? ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [February 23, 2014]
Review by Booklist Review
Using just one word per double-page spread, this simple story beautifully illustrates the passing of a year in the life of a robin. The first scene illustrates nest, as mother and father bird look proudly down into their nest, comfortably housing a beautiful blue egg. Especially appealing is the page warm, wherein the mother sits on the egg, the father tweets in companionship, and gentle blue raindrops fall on a dogwood tree just beginning to show its pink buds. In hatch, the pink baby chick opens its yellow bill wide, anxiously cheeping for food. The seasons come full circle as the bird grows from babyhood to adulthood, ending with meet, as our bird finds a mate and constructs a nest. Back matter goes into more detail about the American robin's life cycle, from nest building to incubation, feeding, finding food, flying, and roosting. Simple forms and crisp flat colors with ample white space provide stunning depictions of these common and beloved birds.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Newcomer Hurley lets her bright, clean illustrations do her storytelling, limiting the text on each page to a single, evocative word. The first spread-"nest"-accompanies two robins guarding a precious blue egg. Like silk-screened images, Hurley's digitally created artwork represents the birds and the trees they live in with flat, sharply delineated areas of color on matte pages; airy white space in the compositions duplicates the freedom in which the birds live and soar. Although the forms are stripped down, some small details are preserved, like the intricately woven twigs of the nest and the sparks of light in the birds' eyes. "Grow" shows the robins bringing worms to their nestling amid a bower of blossoms; throughout, Hurley celebrates the changing seasons. Although it suggests itself as a bedtime book, the arc of the story is not day moving into night, and the page that says "sleep" is not the last one-with an "Awake," the next spread shows the rising sun. Robins meet other robins and start again where they began: "Nest." A handsome, disciplined debut. Ages 3-7. Agent: Laurie Abkemeier, DeFiore and Company. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this stunning debut, we meet a pair of robins and their egg. We watch the parents incubate and hatch the egg and teach the baby bird to survive and fly. Seasons change, colors change. The family faces danger, but ultimately finds safety and comfort. This story is told primarily through the crisp illustrations that have a light, airy quality. The narrative includes only fifteen words, one on each spread, which adds to the dramatic impact: "Nest.warm.hatch..grow.jump.." The conceptual space between each page turn invites readers to thread together the story and imagine each step in the bird's journey. The illustrations evoke the eloquent simplicity of a Japanese woodblock print while the frontispiece depicts clusters of robin's eggs, reminiscent of clouds in a Georgia O'Keefe painting. Every page resonates with a vision that is both ethereal and quotidian. The birds are depicted naturalistically and an author's note includes factual information about robins and their nests. Nest's beauty and originality will stand up to countless re-readings.-Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College, Queens, NY (c) Copyright 2013. 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 Horn Book Review
This simple debut picture book accomplishes much. Each page consists of only one word ("nest / warm / hatch / grow"), all of which add up to a complete, full-circle narrative; striking, dynamic Photoshop illustrations lend the story additional details. The versatility of this book makes it an excellent pick for pre-readers. An author's note offers information about a robin's life cycle. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hurley's penchant for textile design is clearly apparent in this debut picture book. Japanese-style, flat, colored illustrations depict scenes in the life of a family of American robins, from hatching, feeding, learning to fly and social interactions among birds through changing weather and foliage. Even the endpapers are part of the story, showing simple robins' egg shapes. Unfortunately, this style of illustration is inherently static, and its paucity of detail is unlikely to hook children's interest, especially where wildlife is concerned. The too-empty spreads lack real interest or substance, presenting the birds and trees as designer shapes rather than living entities. A single word placed on each spread offers a short gloss on each illustration, but beyond the obvious progress through seasons, the relationships among the words are frequently ambiguous. Readers are more or less left to tell the story on their own, belying the book's apparent simplicity. The author's note describing the life cycle and behavior patterns of the American robin is necessary, as it gives information mostly lacking in the rest of the book. This superficial robin's-eye view of a year does not really get off the ground. (Picture book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
