Tiffany Stone

Knot worries about all the things he cannot do, especially compared to Snake. But it turns out there is one thing that is a real advantage for Knot -- as long as he can figure it out in time to save Snake from being eaten by a bird!

This was a witty, fun book with a somewhat subtle message about being true to yourself and not comparing yourself to others as everyone is unique and special in their own way. The illustrations are full of energy and help to tell the story.

This is a good book to show more share when talking about character education and positive traits, such as helping others, because it's not overly moralistic and has lots of wordplay and silliness to keep young readers hooked. show less

Fans of puns and silly wordplay will "knot" be disappointed by this goofy story of friendship and flexibility.

Knot, a frayed orange bit of rope with bulging eyes, admires and respects Snake. She's so talented! She can shed her skin, swallow her prey whole, slither and hiss. And Knot? What can he do? Can he do anything as good as Snake? No, he's "a frayed not." But when danger threatens Snake, Knot discovers he has a talent after all!

This silly story is full of knotty puns and illustrated show more with Lowery's bug-eyed cartoons. Knot sighs gloomily as he admires Snake's bendy skills, flies giggle, and the two very different characters slither across mountains, swim, and explore deserts (or try to anyways). The art is in quasi-comic style, with some panels and speech balloons and some full-page pictures.

While younger kids, especially those who cannot read yet, are unlikely to get all the humor of the wordplay, it's still a fun story about appreciating your own talents and finding how you can contribute. Bonus points for making the talented snake female!

Verdict: A light and humorous addition to your storytimes, especially for kids in lower elementary school.

ISBN: 9780735230804; Published April 2020 by Dial Books; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library; Used in our activity calendars and story videos. show less

Author Tiffany Stone and illustrator Holly Hatam team up in this Canadian picture-book celebration of the life cycle of a tree. Starting with an acorn, the narrative follows the tree from its beginnings, through the many seasons it provides shelter to both animals and humans, and finally to its fall and death. The book concludes with the new sapling that springs up from the old tree...

Although there were times in Tree Song that I found Stone's poetic narrative somewhat tricky to read aloud, show more there were others that were truly lovely, as when, in summer, "Tree sings back a song of shade, / a dappled shadow serenade." The artwork by Hatam is colorful and cute, capturing the fun had by animals and humans under the protective branches of the tree. Recommended to young nature lovers, and to anyone looking for new picture-books about the life cycle of trees. show less

This book consists of fourteen poems written about different articles of clothing, or parts of clothing, each of a different color. There are three reasons that I do not like this book. To start, the poems vary greatly as to how they fit the theme of the book. The Poem “Orange Socks” has almost every line of the poem repeating the words “orange socks”, while the poem “Invisible Zipper” is not about a color, or even a part of clothing. Rather, it is a metaphor about keeping show more one’s mouth shut. I also do not like the rhythm of much of Stone’s poetry. The final lines of the poem “My Underwear is Dingy” read, ”My underwear’s still dingy. My underwear’s still grey. So… I add some decorations. Look! A holiday display.” The line “So…” with its ellipsis, prompts the reader to pause, which throws the whole ending out of rhythm. Lastly, I am thoroughly unimpressed with the illustrator’s choices. This is exemplified in the illustration that accompanies the poem “My Underwear is Dingy.” The picture is of a boy holding grey boxer briefs up in front of his naked body with his genitals exposed. I feel that the artist could have expressed the boy’s nudity in a much more appropriate manner, especially in a children’s book. show less