Loony Little: the ice cap is melting! By Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2020 $17. 9781623541170
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When a drop of water hits Loony Little’s head, she thinks the ice caps are melting and sets off to tell the Polar Bear Queen. Along the way she picks up other arctic animals. Things go awry when they meet up with Foxy Loxy, who secretly wants to eat them. The Polar Bear Queen doesn’t seem to be any more sympathetic.
I thought that this book was going to be a great environmental take on the original Chicken Little tale. And it began out entertaining with the animals joining up. Even the scare with Foxy Loxy was a nice addition. However, when they arrived at the Polar Bear Queen, her only interest is in eating Foxy Loxy and then sitting back and digesting. While that may be startling and scary, it doesn’t add anything to the fact that the polar ice caps actually are melting and that the polar bear would (should?) care. The ending is just too disappointing for me to give this a sterling recommendation. The addition of “how you can save the ice caps” back matter doesn’t make up for the stumble.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
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