In the first book, Duane moved to a new home and made, and named, friends - C.C. the snowy owl, Handsome the musk ox, Boo the caribou, Magic the Arctic fox, Major Puff the puffin, and Twitch the Arctic hare. Each has their own unique personality, interests, and behaviors. C.C. is a scientist and doesn't do well with emotions or feelings, but she does love her friends and will adapt to help them. Twitch can be anxious and worried, especially about her dear friend Major Puff, but her friends are always ready to help her. Handsome is always worried about his appearance, but when his friends really need him, he's there. Major Puff is brave - but sometimes even a brave puffin gets lonely and scared.
A new character shows up in this book, a strange creature with no name who disrupts the quiet life of the animals and leads some of them into serious trouble. However, with all of them working together, they are able to repair friendships, rebuild trust, and find their little family even stronger than before.
There are moments of quiet humor throughout the book, sprinkled among the pages like the sweet black and white sketches that show the animals interacting with each other. Readers will giggle and sympathize over C.C.'s awkward (and disastrous) attempts at small talk and shy readers especially will empathize with Boo's distress when her privacy is violated. I appreciated the way this incident, a major part of the book is handled. Boo doesn't "get over" her shyness, discover that she loves performing in public, or discover that she really should be more like her friends. Instead, she is truly and deeply hurt and her friends realize this. Saying sorry isn't enough; they have to make amends, however inadvertent their actions were. There's no blaming the creature that led Magic into mischief, and caused her to in turn lead the others into actions that hurt one of their own. Magic takes responsibility for her own actions, as do the others, and they are willing to make themselves vulnerable to repair the harm they've done to their friend. It's a lovely way of showing a group of neuro-diverse characters and how they all relate to each other in a healthy, kind way.
Teachers and caregivers looking for books that focus on social-emotional intelligence will find this a welcome addition to their libraries. Young readers who enjoy meaty language and a gentle storyline, will appreciate the quiet humor and silly phrases. It's not necessary to read the first book, but it does introduce the characters and it's better to read them in tandem to get the full flavor of the experience.
Verdict: If you have fans of the first book, or are looking for a quiet read-aloud for a class of kindergarten up to about third grade, or have a fluent reader who wants a gentle story, this is an ideal choice. The ending seems to imply the finish of the books, but more would be welcome.
ISBN: 9781534433441; Published October 2020 by Atheneum; ARC provided by publisher for review
No comments:
Post a Comment