Kiddie's Corner #9: Little Wise Wolf, Hockey In The Wild, The Nut That Fell From The Tree

Little Wise Wolf by Gijs van der Hammen (Hanneke Siemensma - Illustrator)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  1st September 2020

Description:
Little Wise Wolf has time for only one thing: reading books. All right, two things: at night he studies the stars. When the other animals come to him to get answers to their difficult questions, Little Wise Wolf has no time for that. Until one day, a raven appears. The king turns out to be seriously ill, and Little Wise Wolf is called on to use his knowledge to make him better again. On the way to the palace it turns out that, although Little Wise Wolf may know a lot about the things he has read in his books, and seen in the stars, he has a lot to learn about the outside world.

My Thoughts: 

First things first, the pictures for this book were pretty cool! They looked like chalk drawings - all smudgy and surreal. I haven't seen too many kids books with pictures like this so I'll remember the book on that point alone. However, the text wasn't as fun as the illustrations, it was stilted and the little wise wolf was actually pretty arrogant before he learns his lesson through the kindness of the other animals. I guess my issue with this book - and what stopped me rating it higher - is that there's nothing new here. The story felt like something I'd read a million times before.

Hockey in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  1st September

Description:

The lovable Life in the Wild trio can't wait to get out on the ice to play hockey. Except, well, they're going to have to!

It's wintertime, and the bear, the moose and the beaver can't wait for hockey season to start. They're so eager, in fact, they head out onto the ice before it's thick enough, and they all fall through. Twice. While they wait for the lake to freeze, they try to take their minds off hockey. There's competitive napping. Karaoke. Lots of comfort food. Until, at last, the day arrives when the ice is ready. But, after all that time not being active, are they ready?

My Thoughts: 

This is an incredibly basic story about three friends waiting for the ice to become thick enough to play ice-hockey. That's it. No more, no less. Basic. However, it's kinda fun - especially if you like ice-hockey or have a kid who does. It certainly makes the point not to skate on the ice until it is sufficiently frozen if nothing else! And the illustrations are sweet.

Nut That Fell from the Tree by Sangeeta Bhadra (France Cormier - Illustrator)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  1st September 2020

Description:
A playful, lively story about one acorn's difficult path to becoming a tree.

This is the house where Jill plays.
This is the oak that holds the house where Jill plays.
This is the nut that fell from the oak that holds the house where Jill plays . . .

In the style of ?The House That Jack Built,? here's a cumulative, rhyming tale that follows an acorn on an arduous journey, as one animal after another steals it, drops it or tosses it, sending the acorn inside an old shoe, high above the trees and down to the bottom of a stream. But in the end, the rat, goose, bear and more turn out to simply be the conduits that help the acorn eventually land on a hillside, where the warm sun helps it grow into another grand oak tree, which now holds the house where Jack (Jill's grandson) plays.

My Thoughts: 

This was an awesome little book! It has wonderfully vibrant illustrations and a cheerful rhyming rhythm to the text. It makes you smile when you read it and is so simple, sweet and fun that I'd recommend it for kids of any age! My nine-year-old had fun with it (having gotten sucked in by me reading it aloud) even though he has long since outgrown this level of book.

*All books were review copies received via NetGalley *