The four-star constellation of the Duck!

A new star was discovered today. It's called School Library Journal, and joins Kirkus, PW, and The Horn Book in the ever brighter constellation of the Duck.

BUNTING, Eve. Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?illus. by Sergio Ruzzier.

A small green duck has lost his new blue socks. He looks for them in his toy box and consults his friends the fox and the ox. He does not find them among other socks on the rocks, but his peacock friends help him find them. The short, repetitive rhyming sentences are a good fit for beginning readers, and the large trim size allows plenty of space for the watercolor and [pen] illustrations to provide clues to solve the humorous mystery. This is a whimsical delight for children whose parents clamor for phonics-based books.–Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Booklist: "Bear and Bee is wrapped in cuteness."

Bear wakes up hungry from hibernation, and the only food source in sight is a beehive. When the bee on top of the hive offers up his honey, Bear says, “But what about the bee?” See, Bear doesn’t actually know what a bee is—it’s certainly not the creature he is talking to—and his preconceived notions about bees include that they’re “terrible monsters!” with “large teeth” and “sharp claws.” [...] These two unlikely friends [...] are charmers [...]. This story about snap judgments is wrapped in cuteness, making it just right for the pre-school set. — Ann Kelley

How bees look in Bear's morbid imagination.

The Horn Book gave Duck another star!

It's Duck's third starred review after PW and Kirkus.

Bunting and Ruzzier team up again (Tweak Tweak, rev. 5/11), this time with rhyme and rhythm and imaginative illustrations that will bring inevitable comparisons to Dr. Seuss. [...] The reader or lap listener will enjoy pointing out the socks, as Ruzzier has hidden them in plain sight. The best way to experience this droll book is by reading the jaunty rhyme aloud. “I will ask my friend the fox. / ‘Have you seen my new blue socks?’” Later, Mr. Ox says, “Did you look inside your box? / Did you ask your friend the fox? / I may have seen your new blue socks— / I saw some socks down on the rocks.” It’s hard to resist, especially when the cartoon illustrations are so captivating in their absurdity. Duck’s expression is all in the eyebrows—such angst over a pair of socks has never been conveyed so well. Blues, teals, and greens are the background for the child-friendly, offbeat details Ruzzier has planted in the illustrations, including underwear, dog bones, and a painting ox. An accessible vocabulary and easy-to-sound-out words make this a perfect book for the newest reader, especially one with a grand sense of humor.  - Robin L. Smith

Another starred review for my dear Duck!

After the starred review from Kirkus, here's another one from Publishers Weekly. It's heart-warming to see so much affection for Duck. He deserves it!

There’s something particularly upsetting about losing a brand-new possession, so it’s no wonder that Duck is feeling a little lost himself: “I’m trying not to be depressed./ Without my socks I feel undressed.” His friends—whose names also rhyme with “socks”—are sympathetic and offer tips (“I may have seen your new blue socks—/ I saw some socks down on the rocks,” says Mr. Ox). As in their 2011 collaboration, Tweak Tweak, Bunting and Ruzzier create a lightly surreal and emotionally benevolent landscape, this time introducing a hero who’s considerably more independent than the baby elephant from the earlier book. The book’s gentle takeaway—reinforced by Ruzzier’s signature offbeat aesthetic (Duck is colored soft green; Mr. Ox sits alone in a field, painting a landscape) and Bunting’s solid, conversational rhymes—is twofold. When you lose something, action is better than tantrum. And when someone you know loses something, respond with genuine helpfulness—and don’t make fun of them when it turns out that they were (ahem) wearing their beloved blue socks the entire time.

Kirkus says very nice things about Bear and Bee

My favorite line from Kirkus' review of Bear and Bee:
The correction of misconceptions has never been so much fun. 

Here's the whole review: 

 

When a bear wakes up hungry from his winter nap, a beehive and its honey seem to be the perfect answer to his problem—but what about the bee?

While Bear has never seen a bee, he knows they “are terrible monsters! They are big, and they have large teeth, and they have sharp claws, and they never share their honey!” He explains this to a nearby bee. (The “bees” Bear imagines are green alien-looking creatures sporting horns and curling proboscises.) But as Bee points out, one quality per spread, Bear shares all those characteristics with bees, at which point Bear dissolves into tears: He’s a bee! Bee quickly corrects Bear’s mistake and reveals what he is, lack of teeth and claws and all. And as for sharing honey…he is happy to. Short sentences with simple vocabulary and lots of repetition make this a good choice for beginning readers, who can use the illustrations’ clues to puzzle out more challenging words. Front endpapers and the dedication and copyright pages make a pleasing visual beginning to this story. Best of all, Ruzzier’s pacing is impeccable, adding to the suspense of Bear’s discovery and the sweet start of the duo’s friendship. The digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations are simple and uncluttered, keeping the focus on the two expressive friends and making this a great choice for sharing with groups.

The correction of misconceptions has never been so much fun. 

Most insightful review ever

Googling my name (I promise: I only do that a few times a day), I came upon this:

Sergio Ruzzier's deceptively mediocre livelihood drawings are a win enhance to these child-centered poems; I can't affirm of a improved approach to found a bairn to the pleasures of patter. Considering Kuskin writes, what separates each lone of us from unexpurgated the cattle again bugs and birds? In toto they presuppose feathers, fur further wings but we postulate words, besides words, also words?

What can I say? I'm flattered!

Another warm applause for Amandina

The British but Madrid-based translator Ellen Duthie reviews children's books on her blog, We read it like this. Today, she posted a particularly attentive and thoughtful review of Amandina. Thank you!

Tweak Tweak: The Horn Book (Starred!) Review

[...] The pairing of Bunting’s traditional text, powered by an elegant repeating structure, with Ruzzier’s offbeat art is unexpectedly fabulous. The surreal, rather Seussian landscape (check out those hallucinatory flowers and purple hills) makes the transition to the spreads of Little Elephant’s imagined experiences effortless; the spare spikiness is also a salutary contrast to the elephants’ rounded forms and general adorableness. 

Martha V. Parravano

Another nice blogger's review of Broom, Zoom!

The former librarian Susan M.'s blog From Tots to Teens recently posted a wonderful review of Broom, Zoom! in which she points out, among other things, that while this book is about a witch and a monster and the moon, it is definitely not a Halloween book.  They do not reference the holiday at all, making it a wonderful book for sharing and reading at any time during the year.


Thank you!


P.S.: only one note: while it is true that the color was done digitally, the line was my usual good old pen & ink on paper!

Cheer up, rubber duckling!

Rubber duckling, take a look at this nice review of Hey, Rabbit! on School Library Journal.

As a rabbit pushes a large suitcase, many animals inquire about the contents. A toucan wonders, “HEY, Rabbit! Is there anything for me in your suitcase? Maybe a leaf to remind me of home?” Expectations are exceeded when each creature peeks inside. For example, Toucan discovers a tropical paradise full of exotic flora and fauna. More fantasies come true: a dog finds a birthday cake made of bones, a cat discovers a room full of yarn, and a hungry mouse enjoys tasting stacks of cheese. Ruzzier’s delicate ink-and-watercolor illustrations have a quirky, dreamy quality. After everyone’s wishes have come true, Rabbit wonders, “HEY, is there anything for me in my suitcase?” [...] Pair this with Katie Cleminson’s Magic Box (Hyperion, 2009) for a fanciful storytime. – Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

A Kirkus Star!

Kirkus will run this marvelous, starred review of Rabbit (in possibly their last issue).

The twin powers of friendship and imagination are stunningly portrayed with utter simplicity. Rabbit, with big blue eyes and a suitcase to match, meets his friends one by one, and they ask, “Hey, Rabbit! Is there anything for me in your suitcase?” Toucan asks if there’s a leaf to remind him of home, Crab wonders if there is a shell with the sound of the sea, Cat wants a ball of twine to play with. As Rabbit opens the suitcase, a full two-page spread appears with what each friend was dreaming of, floating and expanding to fill the page. Cat sees a roomful of twine, Toucan a whole jungle paradise. The all-encompassing visions embody the joy of finding exactly what one’s heart desires. [...]
The colors are soft and clear; the line is vivacious and the little anthropomorphized animals are sweet. Their satisfied imaginations fill whole pages, and friendship emanates from every wriggle.

Adorable little bellies

Abby Nolan wrote this very nice review of Hey, Rabbit! for the December issue of Booklist. Thank you!

Instead of a magician pulling a rabbit out a hat, here we have a rabbit magically producing all sorts of things from a suitcase. An ode to gift giving, Ruzzier’s latest picture book showcases his charming illustrations without letting a complicated plot get in the way. One by one, the rabbit’s friends ask, “Hey, Rabbit! Is there anything for me in your suitcase?” and each subsequent spread features the suitcase pouring forth an extreme version of whatever humble object that friend was wishing for. So the dog, who requests a birthday bone, ends up with a gigantic, two-tiered cake made up of blue and white bones. The toucan, who wants a leaf to remind him of home, is presented with a veritable jungle. Ruzzier’s animals are a very appealing group, sweet and expressive with adorable little bellies, and each wish leads to a colorful and lively scene. [...]
— Abby Nolan