Robin Robin

In this picture book debut, Ojari and Please, codirectors of the forthcoming animated musical of the same name, relay the rhythmic story of an orphaned robin adopted by a family of mice. Though Robin Robin tries her best to emulate her family and "be quiet as a... MOUSE," on crumb raids of the Who-man house, she always creates "a CHIRP and a SMASH and a FLUTTER and a CRASH," drawing the attention of "the dreaded Cat." But with an assist from a local magpie and a Christmas tree star, Robin finds a way to embrace her noisy nature and ensure there are copious crumbs for a holiday feast. Ojari and Please use plentiful repetition in the episodic exploits; Smith's carefully detailed illustrations spotlight a warm and cozy mouse burrow; Magpie's old tree cluttered with keys, buttons, and shiny tchotchkes; and a shabby-chic cottage, contributing absorbing, light-filled spreads to this action-driven holiday yarn. Ages 4--8. (Nov.)

Any character in this picture book could be the main character in a different book. Robin often speaks in rhyme: "Leave no trace, go tiptoe pace." The mice who adopted her when her egg fell out of a nest speak mostly in short sentences, mostly about food, with exclamation points at the end: "Breadcrumbs!" "Pie crumbs!" "Cookie crumbs!" The book as a whole is technically a holiday story, but it's the least Christmassy of Christmas books. The tree is mostly an excuse for Magpie to collect shiny objects, like the "Chrim-Cross Star" on top. All the different writing styles could make the book feel disjointed, but instead it becomes a statement of identity: " 'Hey, over here, look at me!' [Robin chirps], flapping and singing as loudly as a BIRD." Smith has made Robin a different color than every other character in the book, and it gives her an excuse to try out a rich and layered tint of red. If Rembrandt and Edward Sorel worked together on a picture book, it would look like this. (The book is based on a musical special from Aardman Animations, which, appropriately enough, is animated in a slightly different style, à la Wallace & Gromit.) By the end, Magpie gets a star, and the mice get three different kinds of crumbs. This story makes a wonderful defense of chaos without being the least bit chaotic. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.