A Round of Robins

Starred review from February 5, 2018
Hesterman debuts with 16 poems that lightheartedly chart the development of a family of robins: “Three is too few./ Mama adds more./ Now it’s just right:/ One clutch of four.” Baby birds often look ungainly and weird—a perfect fit for Ruzzier’s gently surreal brand of cartooning. His newborn robins have big eyes, rubbery limbs, and (eventually) a fuzzy carpet of feathers: “Changing, growing and it’s showing.../ Now they’re fluffs of plump perfection.” The action unfolds against a backdrop of vaguely alien vegetation and watery skies of pink and blue; there are some tussles among the new siblings, but Hesterman focuses more on the birds’ growth and increasing independence. It’s a charmer of an animal family story, with rhymes that are a pleasure to read aloud. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Rick Margolis, Rising Bear Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.

February 15, 2018
Punchy poems that beg to be read aloud follow a pair of robins through parenthood. Dad sings a "Turf Tune" to defend his territory from other birds, while "Mama is an architect" fashioning the nest. Mama robin lays four eggs and uses her body heat to "incubake" them. (Hesterman alternates solid vocabulary--"lair," "clutch," "slumber," "fledgling"--with delightful made-up words.) After they hatch, "Beaks wide open, eyes closed tight, / Wobble, bobble, heads upright. / Patchy bodies missing feathers / Huddle-cuddle close together." The largest wins the worm tug of war, but all the babies are shown getting plump and growing their feathers. Dad chases off all other birds from his domain as the fledglings start to fly and find worms for themselves. And when these four fly off? Mama and Dad start all over again. Hesterman's rhymes and rhythms are spot-on and will hold rapt both lap readers and storytime audiences, the onomatopoeia adding to the fun: "Pip, pip, an eggshell chip. / Peck, peck, a bright blue fleck. / Tweak, tweak, a peeking beak, // C-R-R-R-A-C-K-E-D... / All unpacked!" Ruzzier's pen-and-ink-and watercolor illustrations show cartoon robins with anthropomorphic poses and facial expressions in a habitat that seems a combination of Dr. Seuss and the scenery from Road Runner.An enjoyably rhythmic slice of robin life for young naturalists and bird-watchers. (Informational picture book. 3-6)

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March 15, 2018
Preschool-G With colorful, cartoon art and playful rhymes, these 16 poems present various stages of a robin's life. Opening with a robin couple staking out a tree in Turf Tune ( Defender Dad sings, ?Back away, / Cause Mom and I are here to stay!' to disgruntled birds below), the book's subsequent spreads showcase Mama's nest-building ( Bits of twig, string, wool, and hair / To form a tiny, twiney lair ) and the number of eggs laid, and then progresses through their hatching, feeding, and eventual flying away. However, soon after, Dad retweets his tough turf tune. Watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations depict the expressive robins along with other birds, insects, and a rabbit, all in a sparse, vaguely Seussian landscape. Periodic sound-effect asides enliven the text, although some rhymes can feel forced, and occasional wordplay, such as empty nesters, or metaphors ( A heater hides on Mama's chest . . . sensors set at incubake ) might soar over the heads of younger readers. Still, the read-aloud friendly text and classroom-friendly subject matter make this a nice choice for a springtime story hour.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
Sixteen brief, informative, highly entertaining, and easy-to-read poems follow robin parents as they raise two sets of babies. Ruzzier's personality-filled and amusing pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures feature correct bird anatomy, with details and poses that are comically reminiscent of humans. Individual poems stand alone, but the book is also short and lively enough for a full read-through.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 1, 2018
Sixteen poems follow a pair of robin parents as they raise not one but two sets of baby robins in this factual and funny volume. The story begins with Defender Dad telling three annoyed-looking birds on the ground to Back away, / 'Cause Mom and I are here to stay! It continues with Home Sweet Home: Mama is an architect; / With skill and patience, she'll collect / Bits of twig, string, wool, and hair / To form a tiny, twiney lair. Hesterman's poems are brief, informative, highly entertaining, and very easy to read, with little jokes but also using correct terminology, such as calling the group of four eggs in EGGcessories a clutch. Ruzzier's personality-filled and amusing pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures build on the signature orange of a robin's breast, extending that color to tree limbs and hills; his robins feature correct bird anatomy but add ways of standing and angling their wings that are comically reminiscent of humans. Individual poems stand alone, but the book is also short and lively enough for a full read-through. Sharp-eyed kids at story times may notice that the eggs from the opening endpapers are hatching on the closing ones. susan dove lempke

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Beginning with the first poem that proclaims (with some foreshadowing) "We'll raise a brood, and when we're done, /We just might hatch another one," 16 poems give readers a glimpse of stages in a robin's life, from mama robin laying four eggs to grown up birdies leaving the nest. Hesterman fills her jaunty rhyming verses with numerous puns and alliterations, while conjuring up sweet yet mostly factual vignettes of the birds' journey to maturity. Ruzzier's cartoon illustrations capture these scenes of avian domesticity with just the right mix of humor and warmth, hilariously expressive feathered protagonists (and their grumpy neighbors) inhabiting his slightly fantastical idiosyncratic flora, all colored in ethereal watercolor washes. VERDICT An utterly charming choice for most collections, perfect for one-on-one and small group sharing.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

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