Review_CHILDREN’S
58 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ NOVEMBER 4, 2019
Papa Fox searches for his progeny in Hunter’s
sweet hide-and-seek-based volume (reviewed
on this page).Picture Books
Bird Hugs
Ged Adamson. Two Lions, $17.99 (40p)
ISBN 978-1542092715
Bernard is a tiny bird whose long
wings—so long that when he stands on a
tree branch, the wings tumble almost to
the ground—mean that he doesn’t fly like
the other birds. Adamson (A Fox Found a
Box) draws his protagonist in expressive
watercolor and pencil: Bernard is a softly
textured lilac circle with big eyes and a
pert orange beak. When it’s clear that not
even a catapult can help him fly, Bernard
takes to “a lonely branch,” but stops
feeling sorry for himself when he dis-
covers that he is uniquely suited to offer
enveloping, life-affirming hugs. First he
perks up a depressed orangutan (“I feel
very sad and I’m not sure why!”), and soon
all the animals (and a brave worm) are
lining up—not only for hugs but for
some therapy as well (“Sleeping in the
day, I feel like I’m missing all the fun,” a
glum bat confides). The lesson is a simple,
familiar one—selflessness and sympathy
are key to making friends—but
Adamson’s gentle humor and his eager-
eyed characters’ yearning become an
eloquent testimony to the power of a little
TLC. Ages 3–7. Agent: Isabel Atherton,
Creative Authors. (Feb.)Dandelion’s Dream
Yoko Tanaka. Candlewick, $16.99 (40p)
ISBN 978-1-5362-0453-7
This wordless fantasy unfolds at night,
and its matte black pages contrast dramat-
ically with stylized, crisp-edged artwork
and wispy puffs of light that Tanaka
(Sparrow Girl) creates in white and yellow.
Over a single page turn, a dandelion in
full bloom dreams it has become a minia-
ture lion, its shining petals transforming
into the lion’s mane. The lion faces
readers with an antic smile and does a
little dance step, delighted with its new
form. It dashes joyously out into the
world, drinking up new experiences:
a train ride, a journey on a sheep and a
sailing ship, a jarring arrival in a big city,
which is improved by a trip to a movietheater (a piece of popcorn donated by a
friendly girl is almost as big as the lion,
who sits dwarfed by the seat). The final
sequence of return to the dandelion field
vaults into silent visual play that’s
sudden and joyous. Set free from the
rules of the physical universe, Tanaka’s
solo debut plays with images and forms
suggested by the natural world as the
dandelion’s dream comes to an end in
this short, ethereal journey. Ages 3–7.
Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)The Paper Kingdom
Helena Ku Rhee, illus. by Pascal Campion.
Random House, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-525-
64461-3
“Mama and Papa were night janitors,”
writes Rhee (The Turtle Ship), who bases
this story on her own experiences
growing up. “When they got ready for
work, Daniel got ready for sleep” across
the cozy room from where his mother is
cooking. But tonight, the person who
usually watches Daniel can’t come, and
Daniel’s parents have asked the upstairs
neighbors for “too many favors.” The
child must leave his bed and accompany
them. The security guard looks the other
way, and Daniel’s parents get to work
cleaning a corporate office, telling their
son it’s “The Paper Kingdom” ruled by
two monarchs and inhabited by dragons.
Dad makes jokes and Mama says of the
dragons, “They don’t mean to be
naughty,” while gentle digital images by
Campion (Good Morning, City) depict a
bright, fluorescent-lit space. But the
kingdom is a mess: the board room islittered with papers, the kitchen is a
“disaster,” and the work is obviously
grueling. “It made Daniel feel hurt
inside” to watch his parents labor in the
middle of the night, and he rails about
the unfairness of their having to clean up
after others. Rhee ends on an upbeat note
(maybe one day Daniel will be king, and
“tell the dragons to be nice and neat”),
and her story offers both a meaningful
portrayal of one working-class experience
and an image of a loving, hardworking
family. Age 3–7. Author’s agent: Bill
Contardi, Brandt & Hochman Literary.
Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon
Assoc. (Feb.)★ Where’s Baby?
Anne Hunter. Tundra, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-
0-7352-6498-4
“Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?”
Thus begins a search (and a sly introduc-
tion to prepositions) that leads Papa Fox
to search up in a tree, inside a log, over a
hill, down a hole, under some water, and
around the bend, encountering a number
of un-foxlike creatures, some of them
more polite than others. ( “I am not your
baby. Go away!” answers a grumpy
skunk, and an affable ox responds, “I am
not your baby. I’m Davy!”) Hunter’s
simple but lively pen and colored pencil
drawings allow the deadpan humor to
ring out—all the characters, save one,
are rendered in scratchy black and white
atop a delicate blue sky, and the entire
dialogue is delivered via hand-lettered
speech bubbles. A small orange character
hides just out of the searching animal’s
sight throughout the spreads until Papa
Fox checks an obvious spot at Mama’s
behest—attentive readers will spot early
on that Mama Fox is in on the game. The
dramatic irony paired with Papa’s earnest
calls of “Ba-by!” make this a winner for
interactive reading, and Baby’s final
request, “Can we do that again?” will
ensure this fun and gently instructive
story is repeated. Ages 3–7. (Jan.)Such a Good Boy
Marianna Coppo. Chronicle, $17.99 (48p)
ISBN 978-1-4521-7774-8
Pairing a deadpan narrative with analo-
gously wry, spare tempera and pastel art,
this story introduces Buzz, a pampered
pooch who “pretty much has it all.” ButChildren’s/YA