Little But Fierce

November 1, 2019
Emerson profiles three animals with disabilities featured in The Dodo's "Little but Fierce" online video series. In two to three sentences per page, the author introduces a tiny trio. Vera, a French bulldog, "could fit into a teacup," and her cleft palate made eating difficult; Cody, an alpaca, was too small to stand on her own; and Karamel, a squirrel, was injured in a trap, necessitating the amputation of her four legs (referred to as "arms"). Fortunately, patient humans nursed each back to relative health: "It only takes a little love to make a BIG difference!" Fans of cuddly animals will enjoy the cheery color photos as Vera mugs at the camera, Cody poses in a unicorn costume, and Karamel zooms with her wheeled prostheses. Kids with disabilities may find their furry counterparts comforting or cool. Though the text frames the plucky animals' disabilities positively, it occasionally does so via clichés that humans with disabilities encounter all too often--though Vera is small, she "doesn't let that stop her"; Cody "may be tiny, but her heart is BIG!" The page layout is rather busy. Against a graph-paper background, bright blue, green, pink, and yellow borders and text boxes compete with photos and text; occasional blue text against blue background is somewhat hard to read. A glossary defines terms printed in the narrative in boldface, such as "surgery" and "prosthetic." A warm and fuzzy look at animals living with disabilities. (Informational early reader. 6-8)

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February 28, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-This nonfiction reader, based on The Dodo video series, focuses on three small animals with special needs. When Vera the French bulldog was born, she could fit into a teacup and had a cleft palate. Cody the alpaca was born a third of the size of most alpaca babies, and could not stand on her own. Karamel the squirrel was injured in a hunter's trap. Her rescuer took her to a vet clinic where her arms had to be removed, and then they had the idea to create a prosthetic wheelbarrow so she could be a squirrel again. All three animals beat the odds because of loving caregivers. Each colorful page contains one to three easy-to-read sentences and is filled with large photographs of its lovable subjects. VERDICT This is a heartwarming collection of stories that will be sure to please all animal-loving emergent readers. Recommended.-Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2020
Grades 1-3 True to its title, the stories in this nonfiction early-reader book tell the survival stories of three truly adorable animals. The first tale spotlights a French bulldog with a cleft palate, the second focuses on an alpaca born severely underweight, and the last features a squirrel that lost both of its arms after an encounter with a hunter's trap. Chock-full of crisp, full-color photos that highlight the animal's physical challenges (the alpaca wearing a rainbow wig is a special treat) without being unnecessarily detailed or gory, Emerson's (Itty-Bitty Animals, 2013) title tends more towards inspirational than informational. Still, younger readers are likely to enjoy the delightful creatures featured within, while discovering how these animals were able to beat the odds with human help.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)