Status
Checked out
Due 2024-04-20
Collection
Publication
Tundra Books (2017), Edition: Illustrated, 48 pages
Description
When the fog arrives on his island, a bird with a passion for people watching sets out to discover if anyone else has noticed it taking over the island.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nicholsm
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about a small yellow bird called Warble who lives in Icyland and is a people watcher. One day a fog rolls in and covers Icyland making it impossible for
This is a story about a small yellow bird called Warble who lives in Icyland and is a people watcher. One day a fog rolls in and covers Icyland making it impossible for
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anyone to see. With the help of a small girl, Warble works to raise awareness about the fog and get other animals to help take steps to get rid of it. The illustrations in the book are very charming, especially the “diagrams” of people that Warble spots visiting the island when people-watching. There’s a very positive message in the way that Warble, who’s really upset about the impact the fog is having on Icyland, takes action to make the other birds and eventually other animals aware of the problem. The only downside is that the message this book seems to be trying to get across about environmental awareness may be to subtle for younger children to pick up on. It took me as an adult reading it twice to my 4-year-old to realize the “fog” was meant to represent pollution of some sort and the other animals ignorance of the problem is sadly how many respond to environmental issues. I don’t think a young child would pick on this unless an adult explained the metaphors in a way that was understandable for their age/experience. Overall though, it’s a beautifully illustrated book that with some adult direction and decoding could be a great launch to a discussion on environmental issues. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
The Fog by Kyo Maclear is gorgeous story with even more gorgeous artwork to accompany it. It's also a kind of parable. Regardless, it's a fun one to read with your kids.
LibraryThing member Lisa2013
I won this book at LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
I’d originally learned about this book from a friend who works at a children’s bookstore in New York City.
The word that first comes to mind is charming. It’s very charming.
The illustrations make this book. 5 full stars.
The story is okay. I loved the part regarding the bird who is a human watcher. That was genius, as were all the illustrations about types of humans. It’s also a sweet inter-species friendship story.
If this is a message story though, about global warming specifically and about taking action and about galvanizing a group of beings to become aware of a problem and to do something about it, well something major felt lacking to me. For young children, they’re going to love the pictures and maybe the story in a superficial way, I think, and that might be fine, and enjoyable. But that’s as far as it goes for me.
I think because I love fog before I started reading I was thinking of the fog as a positive thing. While I love promoting awareness and a pet peeve of mine is denial, I just don’t understand what I think might be the message. If the message is that friendships can brighten the lives of those in them then okay; that’s a good message. If working together is a message, ditto to that. Otherwise what everybody actually does makes little sense to me regarding extrapolating it to anything else.
The author and illustrator bios section on the back cover are highly entertaining. I’m a huge fan of creative bio sections so I really appreciated this one.
Note: I asked for advice (from a GR group and) from LibraryThing:
Because I won this at LibraryThing the publisher is entitled to my review at LibraryThing and I also post an identical review (shelves might differ slightly) at Goodreads. If I get a note asking me to email someone with comments or links to the URLs of my review I happily comply.
In this boo there is a card included that has book information and a snail mail address to the publisher(s) in Toronto, Canada. I'm in the U.S. Except for the book info and snail mail publisher info, the only other line is "We would appreciate two copies of your review." There is no name for attn: to or any other info besides the Randomhouse Canada and Tundra books address in Toronto.
Am I expected to print out 2 copies of the review and mail it to an out of the country generic address, with no name to put attn to?! Do they not have a printer and email?!
That seems so unreasonable.
I also have no person to contact to ask if links to the URLs could be included in an email, which I'd be happy to do.
And, I am NOT a professional writer!
If this was to be an included requirement I would have to stop entering to win books.
I will wait to hear back from LibraryThing.
I’d originally learned about this book from a friend who works at a children’s bookstore in New York City.
The word that first comes to mind is charming. It’s very charming.
The illustrations make this book. 5 full stars.
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They’re gorgeous and whimsical and lovely. Very special!The story is okay. I loved the part regarding the bird who is a human watcher. That was genius, as were all the illustrations about types of humans. It’s also a sweet inter-species friendship story.
If this is a message story though, about global warming specifically and about taking action and about galvanizing a group of beings to become aware of a problem and to do something about it, well something major felt lacking to me. For young children, they’re going to love the pictures and maybe the story in a superficial way, I think, and that might be fine, and enjoyable. But that’s as far as it goes for me.
I think because I love fog before I started reading I was thinking of the fog as a positive thing. While I love promoting awareness and a pet peeve of mine is denial, I just don’t understand what I think might be the message. If the message is that friendships can brighten the lives of those in them then okay; that’s a good message. If working together is a message, ditto to that. Otherwise what everybody actually does makes little sense to me regarding extrapolating it to anything else.
The author and illustrator bios section on the back cover are highly entertaining. I’m a huge fan of creative bio sections so I really appreciated this one.
Note: I asked for advice (from a GR group and) from LibraryThing:
Because I won this at LibraryThing the publisher is entitled to my review at LibraryThing and I also post an identical review (shelves might differ slightly) at Goodreads. If I get a note asking me to email someone with comments or links to the URLs of my review I happily comply.
In this boo there is a card included that has book information and a snail mail address to the publisher(s) in Toronto, Canada. I'm in the U.S. Except for the book info and snail mail publisher info, the only other line is "We would appreciate two copies of your review." There is no name for attn: to or any other info besides the Randomhouse Canada and Tundra books address in Toronto.
Am I expected to print out 2 copies of the review and mail it to an out of the country generic address, with no name to put attn to?! Do they not have a printer and email?!
That seems so unreasonable.
I also have no person to contact to ask if links to the URLs could be included in an email, which I'd be happy to do.
And, I am NOT a professional writer!
If this was to be an included requirement I would have to stop entering to win books.
I will wait to hear back from LibraryThing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jessibud2
The Fog - Kyo Maclear - I received this lovely children's book as a Library Thing Early Review copy. The story is ostensibly about pollution, told through the eyes of a bird who is a people-watcher. It is a story of coming together to solve a larger problem and its gentle humour and delightfully
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whimsical illustrations are very engaging. The message(s) of this book can be seen on many levels and I can see this book being a great introduction or conversation-starter for all age levels. Show Less
LibraryThing member HannahJo
Oh my, I love this book!
This is a whimsical book about a bird who notices. Before even reading the story, one is struck by the charming watercolour illustrations. Each page has details worth discussing, from the endpapers delineating different varieties of humans the bird records (# 659 whooping
The story is an interesting parable about environmental change. The noticing-bird is concerned that a fog is overtaking his island and wants to do something about it. His bird friends have familiar reactions, from denying it, to accepting and even welcoming it, to wanting to profit from it. He eventually finds a little girl who listens to him and teams up with him to organize others around the world to bring about change.
Even young children nowadays are aware of environmental changes, and older children wil understand the connections between the melting ice of fogland and that of our own land. In a world that is often scary, this is a gently empowering tale of a tiny bird and a little child having infuence, and the power of community to work together for good.
This is a whimsical book about a bird who notices. Before even reading the story, one is struck by the charming watercolour illustrations. Each page has details worth discussing, from the endpapers delineating different varieties of humans the bird records (# 659 whooping
Show More
buff-chested male, juvenile), to the imaginitive activities of the birds (one foggy watercolour has a picture of a bird painting another foggy watercolour).The story is an interesting parable about environmental change. The noticing-bird is concerned that a fog is overtaking his island and wants to do something about it. His bird friends have familiar reactions, from denying it, to accepting and even welcoming it, to wanting to profit from it. He eventually finds a little girl who listens to him and teams up with him to organize others around the world to bring about change.
Even young children nowadays are aware of environmental changes, and older children wil understand the connections between the melting ice of fogland and that of our own land. In a world that is often scary, this is a gently empowering tale of a tiny bird and a little child having infuence, and the power of community to work together for good.
Show Less
LibraryThing member shazzerwise
Kyo Maclear is quickly becoming one of my favorite and most anticipated picture book authors. I can't quite put my finger on what it is she does that makes her books so good, but there is a quality about them I find stirring, amusing, and beautiful. That she is often paired with delectable
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illustrators is always a plus, and Kenard Pak's work here is no exception. Show Less
LibraryThing member justreign
I really enjoyed this book! The illustrations are a joy, and the story is really touching. You can take it as a little bit of commentary about pollution if you must look for deeper messages in picture books. I just straight up enjoyed it. It could have stood for a little more exposition though.
LibraryThing member mcghol
In general, I avoid books that are designed to instill fear in children about problems they cannot fix, such as climate change. However, this book has a very subtle message, which my 8-year-old was able to recognize, but without feeling overwhelmed. What stood out was the humor--we loved the
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people-watching birds spotting things like "spotted audiophilic female" and "masked bohemian weaver." The art was very appealing. And the message of finding a solution through creating community was inspiring and empowering. Overall, a beautiful book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
On the island of Icyland, live many animals including Warble, a small yellow warbler. Many humans come to visit the beautiful island where Warble "people watches". One warm day, a fog rolls in. the other birds and animals do not notice, but Warble does. as the fog becomes thicker and thicker, no
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humans come to visit anymore. The others don't seem to notice the changes, so it gets worse and worse. When a Red-hooded Spectacled Female (Juvenile) appears, Warble discovers that he's not the only one who notices the fog. They send out messages to see if anyone else sees it. Will they be able to find others who can see it too? And is the fog here to stay? The illustrations by Kenard Pak are done in water colour and demonstrate the misty fog very well. The story is a reminder about environmental awareness, if you do not see a problem or acknowledge one, it well grow and become worse. A nice read aloud for a primary class studying environmental awareness as well as working together to solve a problem. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley. Show Less
LibraryThing member Asbjorn.Academy
This book highlights the importance of nature and working together to care for the environment without ever saying it. The symbolism offers an intriguing way of looking at things from a different perspective. The delightful illustrations entertain throughout the entire book. It's interesting to
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think about comparisons in our world when a problem emerges. What a great introduction to teach children to face truth and facts and be problem solvers. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2017
Physical description
48 p.; 11.31 inches
ISBN
1770494928 / 9781770494923
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Pages
48