Everyone Gets a Turn

Starred review from December 4, 2023
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.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Everyone has something to teach and to learn in this cozy story. Bear, Mouse, Turtle, and Hare are outside reading, snacking, and playing when Mouse finds an egg. Everyone calls dibs on raising it, so they make the decision that everyone will get a turn. Each caretaker exhibits a unique strength that supports the egg and (eventually) the hatched chick, dubbed Little Bird. The animals provide warmth and comfort, strength training, sustenance, and a sense of wonder and imagination, and Little Bird receives the tools she needs to embark on a fulfilling life. The foursome must learn to give Little Bird her space and independence, as well as respect the name she chooses for herself. Soon enough, the egg raised by a village becomes a beloved neighbor with her own lesson to impart. All four surrogate parents' unique traits and strengths are efficiently conveyed, whether through their choice of activities or background details such as the framed pictures adorning each home. 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. Layers of consideration for not only raising a youngling, but learning from one, too. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2024

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.

May 1, 2024
When four animals discover an egg while playing in the forest one day, they decide to take turns caring for it. At Mouse's house, the egg begins to talk, and Mouse must figure out how to keep it warm. The next day, at Bear's house, the egg hatches, producing a yellow chick. Little Bird discovers what foods she likes while at Hare's house. And at Turtle's house, Little Bird learns how to use her imagination. With the knowledge she's gained from her new friends, an industrious Little Bird builds her own house. Though the others are at first surprised and worried for her, when they visit they discover that Little Bird, who now wishes to be called Clara, is quite an independent thinker, leading them to reconsider what their names could be ("Nico?" "Marcel?" "Lola?" "Winnie?"). Seven easily digestible sections, a picture-book trim size, and graphic novel-like format (straightforward panels, dialogue balloons) make Dubuc's satisfying hybrid story a perfect match for both reading novices and slightly younger listeners. She gives each animal unique attributes (e.g., Bear is a creative builder and likes to exercise: "An active body for an active brain"), and her appealing pastel-toned ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations contain lots of recurring details that are entertaining to spot on repeat reads. Hand this to fans of Ruzzier's Fox + Chick series. Cynthia K. Ritter

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
When four animals discover an egg while playing in the forest one day, they decide to take turns caring for it. At Mouse's house, the egg begins to talk, and Mouse must figure out how to keep it warm. The next day, at Bear's house, the egg hatches, producing a yellow chick. Little Bird discovers what foods she likes while at Hare's house. And at Turtle's house, Little Bird learns how to use her imagination. With the knowledge she's gained from her new friends, an industrious Little Bird builds her own house. Though the others are at first surprised and worried for her, when they visit they discover that Little Bird, who now wishes to be called Clara, is quite an independent thinker, leading them to reconsider what their names could be ("Nico?" "Marcel?" "Lola?" "Winnie?"). Seven easily digestible sections, a picture-book trim size, and graphic novel like format (straightforward panels, dialogue balloons) make Dubuc's satisfying hybrid story a perfect match for both reading novices and slightly younger listeners. She gives each animal unique attributes (e.g., Bear is a creative builder and likes to exercise: "An active body for an active brain"), and her appealing pastel-toned ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations contain lots of recurring details that are entertaining to spot on repeat reads. Hand this to fans of Ruzzier's Fox + Chick series.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)