Everyone Gets a Turn

This lively, thoughtful work in several parts by Dubuc (Bear and the Whisper of the Wind) follows four friends who, finding an egg in the forest, initially squabble over who gets to take it home. Much to everyone's surprise, the egg pipes up: "EVERYONE GETS A TURN!" Simple line artwork in soft tints and clearly laid-out panels shows the snug interior of each house. At Mouse's comforting place, the egg complains that it's cold, and Mouse wraps it in a scarf and hat, then snips off part of a blanket to share. At Bear's, something momentous happens: the egg cracks, and athletic Bear cuddles with newly hatched Little Bird ("Bravo little one!"). Hare's pantry is crammed with different foods, allowing Little Bird to find out what she likes to eat, and Turtle's artfully appointed house offers nourishment for the mind. Then Little Bird goes missing, and a section gives her space to choose a home and a name of her own. To survive, creatures need the essentials, but to thrive, this work suggests, they need comfort, activity, sustenance, artistic beauty, and, perhaps most important of all, autonomy--the power to choose for themselves. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 3--A game of catch between Bear and Mouse (Hare and Turtle, who are nearby) is enlivened considerably when the ball goes astray and Mouse, during the search, finds an egg. This is the preamble. Each friend will have a turn at tending to Little Egg, and Mouse stars in the first slender chapter. Mouse knits while they chat about the other friends--that Hare's ears get cold, and thus the knitting project, a hat. At Bear's home, Little Egg hatches and becomes Little Bird. At Hare's, Little Bird is hungry. Each vignette is treated like a comic book panel, with a boxed piece of narration in one of the corners, and dialogue in speech bubbles to convey everything else. Dubuc's watercolorlike illustrations have an Easter-egg palette of warm spring colors; the friends' homes could not be more welcoming and the atmosphere any more gentle. This is ideal preschool fare, one step up from a board book, with those chapter breaks serving as story-hour breaks for asking questions about what might happen next. Yes, Little Egg will hatch, but the narrative tiptoes into full-blown leaving-the-nest territory when Little Bird builds a house, then takes on a new identity, Clara, and the others begin to question their monikers. The book ends, but there is no reason the philosophical journey has to; this book itself could be used for writing prompts with lower elementary students--what is next? VERDICT A book that starts simple and ends with complicated notions of identity, scaled to children's own questioning, ever-evolving minds. Perfect.--Ginnie Abbott

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A perfect match for both reading novices and slightly younger listeners...Appealing pastel-toned ink, water color, and colored-pencil illustrations contain lots of recurring details that are entertaining to spot on repeat reads."

"Everyone has something to teach and to learn in this cozy story....Made up of comic-like panels and featuring desaturated colors, the art portrays a gentle, verdant world filled with welcoming homes where neighbors share their expertise and support each other. Readers will want to take several turns revisiting this anthropomorphic village."