Kit ChaseReseñas

One day, Kangaroo follows a trail of bubbles that lead her to--Koala! But Koala is shy, and doesn't seem interested when Kangaroo tries to play. But after a while, Koala blows happy bubbles Kangaroo's way, and their friendship begins.

Three friends - Lulu the bird, Oliver the elephant, and Charlie the rabbit - enjoy playing together, until a game of hide-and-seek reveals that Oliver has trouble with trees. They are either too tall or too small for an elephant, and when the friends finally find one just right, it is too weak to hold the pachyderm. Is this the end for these playmates, or can Lulu and Charlie come up with a solution to include their downhearted friend...?

Apparently a debut for author/artist Kit Chase, who much like Emily Winfield Martin had a preexisting Etsy following before launching into children's books, Oliver's Tree is a sweet, warmhearted little picture-book, pairing an engaging and ultimately satisfying narrative about friendship and play with adorable artwork. Oliver himself is so cute, and Chase captures his joy and sadness quite well in her watercolor paintings. I appreciated the way in which Oliver's friends work to include him, when difficulties first arise in their games, and think this offers a positive model for young readers/listeners. I see that there are subsequent titles about this trio of friends - Lulu's Party and Charlie's Boat. I will have to see about tracking those down.

Kit Chase writes sweet and friendly books about a group of little animals who have everyday adventures, squabbles, and joys.

In this latest book, a sweet little kangaroo and a shy koala bond over the simple delights of bubbles. The friendly yellow kangaroo, with soft red cheeks, is blowing blue bubbles. When she sees some yellow bubbles, she follows the trail to discover another creature blowing bubbles - a koala!

But when Kangaroo tries to talk to Koala, Koala hides in the tree. Kangaroo starts to leave, but then the bubbles start again. The yellow and blue bubbles join into a delightful green bubble party. But then the green bubbles make a monster! Will Koala come down from the tree to help their new friend?

Chase's soft watercolors make these cozy stories come to life with red-cheeked little animals and light touches of pastels against a white background. Friendly little Kangaroo, bouncing up and down in her eagerness to make a new friend, and shy little Koala, nervous around this new bouncy person, are adorable. It's nice that the characters didn't default to male pronouns, as usually seems to happen. I was a little disappointed that Koala ended up talking - it would have been a nice, unique ending for them to continue their non-verbal communication, and would have definitely added to my audience as I have a large population of special needs kids and would love to read a book about how you don't have to be verbal to be friends.

Verdict: A sweet little story about friendship. An additional purchase, especially if you have fans of Kit Chase.

ISBN: 9780399545740; Published 2018 by Dial/Penguin; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

I really love Kit Chase's "Playtime with Friends" series. Sometimes you just need that sweet, gentle picture book for a cozy read.

In this latest installment, Charlie, Oliver, and Lulu are all fishing. Oliver is big enough to wade and fish with his trunk, Lulu can flutter and fish with her claws, but all Charlie can catch from the river bank are sticks! He's feeling very down about his pile of sticks, until he comes up with a solution - building little boats! But when Lulu and Oliver come to join him, they're much better at building boats. Will Charlie ever get to fish - or be good at anything?

Chase's delicate watercolors show a landscape reminiscent of Ernest Shepard's famous illustrations for Winnie-the-Pooh, complete with little stick boats, a friendly rushing river, and cozy small animals with rosy cheeks.

This sweet and gentle story of friendship and helping each other out is the perfect choice for a cozy storytime or a quiet bedtime story - perhaps to be followed by creating your own stick boats to float or thinking about how different friends can work together.

Verdict: Not an absolutely necessary choice, but a strong addition to any picture book collection on friendship, working together, and thinking outside the box.

ISBN: 9780399257025; Published 2017 by G. P. Putnam's Sons; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Lulu is excited to have her friends Oliver and Charlie over for a rainy day party in this children's picture book with soft colors and warm characters. But something goes wrong with her special treat and Lulu fears that her party is ruined, so her friends come to the rescue to save the day. This book is a good example of a children's picture book because it is easy to read, and the illustrations on every page are both simple yet appealing.

I am so pleased to see that another Playtime with Friends book has come out. I'm usually not much of a "cute" person, but I really liked Oliver's Tree and was excited to see what happens to the next featured friend.

Lulu is feeling a little dismal and lonely on a rainy day and decides to invite her friends over for a party and a special surprise. But the treat gets ruined! Is her party ruined too? Fortunately, Lulu has some good friends who can think of a special treat that they can all share together.

Kit Chase's art has a sweet, British feel to it. It reminds me of Ernest Shepard, handmade stuffed animals, and cozy tea parties.

This isn't a ground-shaking book and it's unlikely to win awards. It's just a simple, sweet story that families will enjoy reading again and again and is likely to become a small child's favorite story. The gentle, hopeful story will resonate with kids who understand about small disappointments looming large and the happy denouement as her friends come up with a solution and they all head outside for a circus party will have them begging for another reading.

Verdict: This would make a lovely addition to a book list on resiliency, if your school district focuses on that. Otherwise, it's the perfect story to cuddle up with on a rainy day.

ISBN: 9780399257018; Published 2015 by G. P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

A perfect tree is hard to find. Lulu, Oliver, and Charlie are three friends who enjoy playing outside. Join their search for a tree they can all enjoy.

Oliver could not climb the trees when his friends hid in them during hide and seek. Charlie and Lulu gathered sticks and moss to "make" a tree for Oliver while he was sleeping. This book shows the generosity of friends and how they will do anything to make another friend happy and feel included.

Gentle and irresistibly adorable friendship story.

At first glance, this is just a cute little book about animal friends playing in the forest. Adorable and will probably circulate quite well, but nothing particularly special. However, think about it a little from an adult perspective, and you'll see how lovely this little book is and how it gently teaches lessons without hammering kids over the head with them.

Oliver, Lulu, and Charlie love to play outside. Lulu and Charlie especially like to climb trees, specifically when they're playing hide and seek. But Oliver is a bit too big to climb. They try to find a tree they can share together, but after trying out many different trees Oliver gives up and leaves. But his friends don't give up! With a little hard work they find a way they can all enjoy the trees and play together.

Chase's art is sweet without being too saccharine. Her rosy-cheeked little animals frolic happily in a forest with mushrooms, a variety of trees, flowers, and swirling background patterns of ferns. Even the empty spaces of the backgrounds are a soft, beige hue. The illustrations are sometimes full-page spreads, sometimes little cameos of the friends trying out different trees or hiding places.

So, what did I love so much about this? It shows kids including a friend who's a little different. They have to change the way they play, but they all find something they can enjoy together. It also shows children enjoying natural, outside play as well. There are a lot of picture books out there that include lessons on diversity, tolerance, etc. but this is one of the best ones I've seen so far that portrays children naturally playing together and making accommodations for a friend.

Verdict: Buy it for the cute and it will change the way kids play without them even noticing. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780399257001; Published 2014 by G. P. Putnam's Songs/Penguin Group; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library