Review - Five Flying Penguins

Five Flying Penguins
by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Date: 2018
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Five little penguins are content in the cold--until they spot a menacing mammal!

With a rhyming narrative that counts to five, adorable penguins are soaring--or flying--through the sea, trying to elude a lurking creature. But as young readers of this charming tale will discover, a friendly seal is only looking to play a game of tag.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

False advertising! None of these penguins fly. (And you know some astute kids are going to point this out. Just be forewarned.)

This is a pleasant-to-look at picture book that incorporates rhyme, counting, cute pictures, excitement, and a twist at the end. While I didn't love the metre and rhythm here, it's not as bad as in some other books I've seen, and it's still readable. The illustrations are the real star, though, showing off a diverse group of colourful penguins as they scamper through a largely turquoise landscape (the choice to stay away from keeping every page white and snowy was a good one).

Check this one out if you're looking for cute counting books with a little more of a story.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.86 out of 5

Review - Lali's Feather

Lali's Feather
by Farhana Zia
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Date: 2020
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

This endearing story of identification and values shows the rewards in looking closely and thinking imaginatively.

Lali finds a little feather in the field. Is it lost? Lali sets out to find feather a home, but one bird after another rejects it. The feather is too small for Rooster, too slow for Crow, and too plain for Peacock. Once Lali decides to keep the little feather and discovers all the things she can do with it, the other birds begin to recognize its value.

Farahan Zia's charming tale employs an inventive circular structure that reveals the importance of looking beyond first impressions. Illustrator Stephanie Fizer Coleman brings this delightful story of imagination and inspiration to life.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Jai Ho! What an adorable book! Comparisons to Cao Wenxuan's Feather are going to be inevitable, though this is, in my opinion, a far better book.

Lali finds a feather in the field. She doesn't know who it belongs to, so she sets out to find its owner. Each bird that she encounters tells her it's not theirs (and why it couldn't be). Having no luck, Lali decides to simply have fun with the feather. She writes with it, sweeps with it, fans the fire, and even torments her family with it. But when the feather is lost, the rest of the birds come to the rescue in a delightful display of empathy and friendship. And after all that, the story ends with the promise of another adventure.

Unlike the aforementioned Feather, this book is far more lighthearted and appealing. The illustrations are fun and colourful. Hindi interjections are sprinkled throughout and, combined with the pictures, they give the book a definite Indian flair. It's likely to be much more engaging to children, with the relatable main character.

Overall, this is a strong picture book showing a little girl searching for a lost feather's home, as well as highlighting the value of seemingly insignificant things, like a dropped feather. I'd definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing Company for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Review - Bird Count

Bird Count
by Susan Edwards Richmond
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Date: 2019
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A young girl eagerly identifies and counts the birds she observes around her town during the New England Christmas Bird Count. Young Ava and her mother prepare to participate as "citizen scientists" in the Christmas Bird Count. She is excited when Big Al, the leader of their team, asks her to record the tally this year. Using her most important tools--her eyes and ears--and the birding ID techniques she's learned, Ava eagerly identifies and counts the birds they observe on their assigned route around the town. At the end of the day, they meet up with the other teams in the area for a Christmas Bird Count party, where they combine their totals and share stories about their observations.

This informative story by author Susan Edwards Richmond, coupled with Stephanie Fizer Coleman's charming depictions of birds in their winter habitats, is the perfect book to introduce young readers to birdwatching. The text offers simple explanations of the identification methods used by birdwatchers and clear descriptions of bird habitats, and a section in the back provides more information about the birds featured in the book and the Christmas Bird Count.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is an interesting picture book about a subject I've never seen covered in a children's book before: bird counts. In Bird Count, the young protagonist, Ava, participates in the Christmas Bird Count with her mother and their friend, Big Al. Proper procedure is followed (which is interesting) and there's a growing tally that runs along the right-hand side of the pages as the trio sees or hears various birds in the world around them.

I can't really find much to complain about here. The birds are easy to pick out and match the running tally. At the end of the book, there are descriptions of each of the birds mentioned, and though I do wish there had been pictures to go with each description, I guess that's something readers could look up later. (Speaking of looking up, though, I noticed a typo in the URL for The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Hopefully that will be fixed before the final version comes out.)

This would be a great book for kids who like birds, or for readers who like books where they have to pick stuff out in the illustrations. There's lots of information here about birds, and the story might even inspire some readers to join a bird count themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing Company for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5