Review by New York Times Review
East Side, West Side, all around the town, a little boy searches the streets of New York for his friendly fire-breathing dragon. Drawn in bold, caricature-style pen and ink, Light's illustrations are dizzy with detail, architectural and otherwise, all the better to disguise the dragon, who lurks in every picture. Half the fun is in finding him, but there's also some counting to be done, of water towers, subway cars and other city sights. HOW TO LOSE A LEMUR Written and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. 32 pp. Sterling. $14.95. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6) "Everyone knows that once a lemur takes a liking to you, there is not much that can be done about it," Preston-Gannon begins her winning tale of lopsided friendship. Nearby, a lemur with an oddly intent expression offers a flower to a little boy, who regards him warily. Soon that one lemur is joined by a whole troop, and they find ingenious ways to follow the boy across lakes, deserts, mountains - even through the skies. When at last the boy returns home, he's made friends despite himself. STELLA'S STARLINER Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. 32 pp. Candlewick. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 6) In the opening spread of this gorgeous, good-hearted book, Wells shows a little fox named Stella standing with a proud smile in front of a shiny Airstream trailer. "It was as silver as a comet in the sky. It was called the Starliner." In Stella's eyes, everything about her home is perfect, until nasty weasels call it a "tin can." But a trailer's indisputable advantage is mobility, so Stella's family take flight through the starry night and park in a sunnier place where new friends see things Stella's way. WINSTON & GEORGE By John Miller. Illustrated by Giuliano Cucco. 56 pp. Enchanted Lion. $17.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Ever had a friend everyone said you shouldn't trust? Winston, a big, "very very patient" crocodile, puts up with a lot of silly pranks from his pal George, a little crocodile bird, but when one joke goes too far it isn't clear if either will see the light of day again. The intense, saturated colors of Cucco's pen-and-ink pictures look so fresh it's hard to believe they lay forgotten for a half-century, winding up in an attic. Publication brings them - as well as, at last, the mismatched friends - a happy ending. THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE The Unimaginary Friend. Written and illustrated by Dan Santat. 40 pp. Little, Brown. $17. (Picture book; ages 3 to 6) How does an imaginary friend feel before he's been imagined? In Santat's sweet, mind-bending gumdrop of a tale, Beekle lives on a rainbow-hued island, "hoping for his turn to be picked by a child." Eventually, like Max in "Where the Wild Things Are," he takes to the seas and soon lands in the real world - which looks a lot like Manhattan. Though this island seems awfully drab, Beekle and his friend find each other at last. She's everything he's ever dreamed of, and the feeling is mutual. ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 6, 2014]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Stella, a little fox, lives with her parents in the Starliner, a trailer that's neat and cozy on the inside and shiny silver on the outside. She and her mama spend a contented day together, visiting the farmers' market and the bookmobile. But when some mean weasels pass by after school, they stop to taunt Stella, calling her poor and her home a tin can. Stung by their cruel words, Stella cannot eat or sleep. That night, she confides in her mother, who points out that the trailer is moving. The next morning, they arrive in a tropical setting, where two new bunny friends admire Stella's silver home. While the journey section has an ambiguous, dreamlike quality, as though representing the wish to flee whenever words or deeds cause pain, there's much to admire in both the art and the story. The text is simply written but precise. When the weasels tease the little fox, their words sting Stella's heart like the stings of bees a memorable image. Created using watercolor, gouache, pastel, ink, and colored pencil, the lovely illustrations convey a sense of order, safety, and wonder in Stella's world. This evocative picture book makes an absorbing read-aloud choice for young children.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Something new from the creator of Max and Ruby, and countless other beloved stories, is sure to be in demand.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a series of silver-framed vignettes, a little fox lives contentedly with her family in Airstream-style trailer, a small but ingenious living space with "a kitchen and a radio and a sofa that turned into a bed." Stella's sense of security evaporates when a gang of weasels mocks the Starliner ("It's an old trailer is what it is!" "You must be poor!"). But when Stella's Daddy hitches the trailer to his pickup truck and moves the family to a place where there are palm trees and shimmering water, Stella makes new friends who think her life in the Starliner is worthy of "A squillionaire!" Curiously, Wells never clarifies the reason behind the relocation, and so a story that draws so much power from its sense of emotional truth concludes with an ending that seems almost too magical. But that's a small caveat; as income inequality takes it toll on more and more children, this story and its heroine are an important reminder of just how resilient families can-and must-be. Ages 4-8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Stella, a red fox, is proud of her family's trailer home. It has cozy corners, fun hiding places, and a color that resembles the stars. When some older weasels call it a tin can, she hides her sadness at their hurtful comments from her mom so she won't "feel the stings, too." The problem is resolved, though, as the trailer home takes flight to a new location, where Stella meets new friends, in what appears to be a vivid fantasy sequence. The small camper that looked cheap to the weasels makes her new playmates envious. With bunnies Grace and Stumpy sharing a meal with her in the trailer, Stella feels like a "squillionaire" once again. Wells's illustrations (rendered in watercolor, gouache, pastel, ink, and colored pencil) appear against a summer country landscape alive with swirling stars and sun-dappled trees. While reading this book, children will realize that it's not the size of one's house that makes a happy home; it's the love inside it.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Somewhere in the mountains, Stella the fox and her parents live in a mobile home by the side of the road. The Starliner meets all their needs. "Inside was a room for sleeping and a room for being awake. There was a kitchen and a radio and a sofa that turned into a bed." Daddy comes home from work on the weekends, and there are pancakes on Sunday mornings and fishing on Sunday afternoons. During the week there are trips to the market and visits to the bookmobile. This peaceful life snags for Stella when a gang of weasels mock her home and call her "poor." She tries to hide her hurt to protect Mama's feelings, but her intuitive mother sees. Meanwhile something magical happens as the Starliner, hitched to Daddy's truck, flies through the night sky toward palm trees, the ocean, and new bunny neighbors who see value in this "sterling silver" house. Packaged within silver starry-sky endpapers, the illustrations (in watercolor, gouache, pastel, ink, and colored pencil on sanded paper) vary in size from spot art to a striking double-page spread of the flying Starliner. Backgrounds are full of symbols that deepen the story, and words and images work effectively together to develop the setting and this loving family looking out for one another. julie roach (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
Wells' winsome animal characters are charming, as always, but her latest effort lacks coherence and depth. The casual, colloquial tone suits the simple tale beautifully. Stella, a fox child, lives a happy life, secure in her parents' love and seemingly unaware of her straitened circumstances. She loves her small, shiny trailer home, enjoys spending time with her mother and looks forward to her father's weekly return on Sundays. Then some unfriendly weasels point out her poverty. Saddened, Stella tries to keep her emotions hidden, but her mother teases the truth out of her. Unfortunately, instead of allowing Stella to sort things out herself, Wells decides to solve her problems geographically. Stella's dad hooks up the house trailer and hauls it to another, more welcoming (and tropical) locale, where the new neighbors greet Stella and her home with awe and enthusiasm. The abrupt ending may leave listeners wondering exactly what happened. They're also likely to be confused by the contrast between scenes that suggest a mid-20th-century rural setting and the inline skates and baggy pants sported by the weasels. Overall, however, the variously sized mixed-media illustrations are captivating, featuring lush forests, starry nights, expressive faces and delightful details. Fans of Wells' work will likely embrace Stella's story, but some may wish she'd been allowed to confront her problems rather than just running away from them. (Picture book. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
