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Review_CHILDREN’S

Children’s/YA lovely bedtime sendoff for animal-loving
children that will leave them with ample
imaginative fodder for their own dreams.
Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding,
Picture Books Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agency: Wernick &
Pratt. (Mar.)
This Is the Nest That Robin Built
Denise Fleming. Beach Lane, $17.99 (32p) The Piano
ISBN 978-1-4814-3083-8 Juha Virta, illus. by Marika Maijala. Gibbs
Like a fresh spring breeze, Fleming’s Smith, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4236-4926-7
cumulative tale celebrates a favorite Originally published in Finland, this
symbol of the season, a robin’s nest. Paul and Alcántara make their children’s book cheerful domestic adventure introduces an
debut with a celebration of the game of soccer, set
Beginning with a squirrel “who trimmed overalls-wearing girl named Filippa who
on a Caribbean island (reviewed on this page).
the twigs, not too big,/ that anchor the lives in a hip town populated by anthro-
nest that Robin built,” Fleming (5 Little pomorphic animals. After a piano myste-
Ducks) introduces several animals that netically cartooned vignettes and larger riously appears in front of Filippa’s house
provide the materials the bird needs to scenes. Soon, food isn’t enough: “Jacket! (in the opening scene, readers watch it sail
craft the resting spot for her “eggs, brittle Kilt! Lunch Box!” (Hilariously, the crea- out the back of a van), she is eager to play
and blue.” The verse is saturated with ture dumps the food out of the lunch box it. But her friend André, a donkey, grabs
alliteration and internal rhymes (“This is before devouring it.) Queasiness follows it to use as extra seating at his café (a
the mouse/ who gathered the weeds, dotted (just in time for Q), and parental consola- mobile coffee cart, really), and her pal
with seeds,/ that bind the mud, soft not tion is required: V is for “vomit,” a much Snoozy the cat takes a nap inside of it. An
soupy,/ that plasters the straw, rough and tidier affair than all of the eating that pre- annoyed Filippa storms off to play her
tough...”), and the collage illustrations cedes it. There are a lot of laughs in this harmonica, which attracts the attention
gain bold, mottled textures from the feeding frenzy, but just as much tenderness of a certain pianist whose instrument has
varied printmaking techniques Fleming in the final scenes, which poignantly gone missing. Virta creates an appealing
used to treat the paper before assembling reflect the ABCs of TLC. Ages 3–5. Agent: setting for future books, a friendly town
them. When the nestlings, “tufted and Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.) where humans and animals alike sip coffee
pink,” finally arrive, a foldout spread and play jazz music together. But it’s
reveals all of the work that went into the Dreaming of You Maijala’s bold and splashy illustrations
nest; small vignettes show Robin com- Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illus. by Aaron that captivate. Colored in bright shades
bining twigs, string, straw, mud, and DeWitt. Boyds Mills, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1- of yellow, peach, sea green, and sky blue,
more to put it together. Fleming’s nature 62979-212-5 her scenes brim with energy and quirky
scenes pulse with electric shades of green, “When they sleep what do animals see?” details: Filippa is building homemade
highlighting the hive of activity that pre- That’s the question driving VanDerwater’s birdhouses when readers first meet her,
cedes the arrival of a newborn (or three). lullaby of a picture book, which moves and the pianist’s bench is a can of pickled
Ages 2–8. (Mar.) from animal to animal, describing dreams cucumbers. Ages 3–8. (Mar.)
that just so happen to involve readers who
★ A Busy Creature’s Day Eating: may be settling down for the night them- The Field
An Alphabetical Smorgasbord selves. Well-crafted, undulating rhymes Baptiste Paul, illus. by Jacqueline Alcántara.
Mo Willems. Hyperion, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978- cover 10 animals in total, and although the NorthSouth, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7358-
1-368-01352-9 animals’ dreams often involve exploration 4312-7
G is for gluttony (ok, “gravy,” techni- and play, the mood always remains restful: A boisterous and unfettered love of
cally) in Willems’s madcap abecedary, “Turtles are dreaming of cool, muddy futbol is at the heart of this energetic
built around a youngster who devours beds./ Turtles are dreaming of learning to picture book from debut talents Paul
everything in sight, then suffers the conse- run./ Turtles are dreaming of basking with and Alcántara, set on an unspecified
quences. Purple, wide-eyed, and resem- you/ on a rock in a river in hot summer Caribbean island. Alcantara’s kinetic
bling a cross between a monkey, dog, and sun.” Working in mixed media, DeWitt illustrations reflect the joy and camara-
Muppet, the young creature explodes out combines watery portraits of chipmunks, derie that the game brings to the young
of bed and into an alphabetical meal of frogs, fish, and fireflies with crisply col- players: two twins walk in lock-step to
“Apples! Berries! Cereal!” It isn’t pretty: laged backdrops and charcoal-like flour- set up a goal made from bamboo shoots,
Granny Smiths and strawberries go flying, ishes of added detail. VanDerwater’s the children are forced to clear the field
and the creature dives face-first into its repeated second-person references are all of cows before the game can begin, and
cereal bowl. The text is limited to what- but certain to have readers imagining players slip and slide dramatically as a
ever the creature is eating at the moment themselves in the animals’ frolics (“Horses storm sets in. Paul’s punchy, declarative
(and the accompanying alphabet letter), are dreaming of you telling secrets/ into text clearly communicates that the players
and Willems captures each moment in fre- long ears as you nuzzle their faces”). It’s a won’t be hindered by stubborn livestock,

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