Member Reviews

What a treasure of a book! I loved this cute story about a bird who people watches and notices things around him. The illustrations are engaging and pleasing to the eye.

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RATING: 4 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

I am a fan of Kyo Maclear's books and loved the illustrations by Kenard Park. A really cute story about a warbler going human watching where he meets a human!

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Something about this book just didn’t work for me. We never really find out why the fog came, and it isn’t clear just why exactly it goes away. Some have considered this to be a parable about global warming, but if so, the solution still doesn’t quite work for me. The illustrations are charming, and there’s some fun, whimsical humor. It just isn’t one that I love.

Possible Objectionable Material:
The little girl appears to be adventuring all by herself.

Who Might Like This Book:
Anyone who appreciates whimsy, beautiful illustrations, and a bit of mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. This book also reviewed at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-panoply-of-picturebooks.html and on Amazon, Goodreads, and Librarything.

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The inestimable Kyo Maclear is back with another stunning storybook. In "The Fog", a precocious little warbler is distraught when a fog rolls into his island and prevents him from taking part in his favorite pastime: human watching! The warbler searches and looks and watches until he finally finds a rare species - a "Red Hooded Spectacles Female (Juvenile) #673". Together the girl and bird find a way to dispel the fog and bring vision and happiness back to their island. While younger readers will enjoy the gentle story of friendship, slightly older readers will understand the very serious metaphor of our dangerous impact on the global environment. Luckily, Maclear instills the hopeful message that if we work together we can still restore our planet of splendor. Maclear's illustrative style is perfect for the story; watercolors evoke water, fog, and ether perfectly while pencil work gives the warbler loads of personality. Reminiscent of Jon Klassen, fans of contemporary picture books will eat this one up. When combined with just the right amount of text and a clean narrative, "The Fog" is a winner!

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This is surprisingly high concept for a picture book. Mildly philosophical. So for real littles, the message is not going to land. THird or fourth graders could get there with some guidance. It's beautifully illustrated though.

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The Fog is a picture book written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Kenard Pak. It is currently scheduled for release on May 16 2017. Warble is a small yellow warbler who lives on the beautiful island of Icyland, where he pursues his hobby of human watching. But on a warm day, a deep fog rolls in and obscures his view. The rest of the birds don't seem to notice the fog or the other changes Warble observes on the island. The more the fog is ignored, the more it spreads. When a Red-hooded Spectacled Female appears, Warble discovers that he's not the only one who notices the fog. Will they be able to find others who can see it too? And is the fog here to stay?

The Fog is a cute picturebook with absolutely beautiful illustrations. I adored the colors and the water color styling. It added a great deal to the story. Warble is a bird dedicated to people watching, and so is among the first to notice the fog, and one of the few to care about it happening. His connection to the red-hooded, bird watching girl starts their attempts to contact people beyond their corner of the world to see how far the fog has spread. I like that they find a variety of creative ways to connect with others and discuss the problem. I did not like that all that was covered was the awareness and communication about the problem- even if it is the first and a very necessary step. I would have liked to see some action taken, some decision reached about how to solve the issue- rather than it just lessening because of raised awareness. I am not sure that the target audience will fully get the point, and that more needs to be done, without a continued discussion.

The Fog is a lovely picturebook with an important message about being aware of environmental issues, and connecting with others. I think it missed the mark by skipping some level of action- but it is a good place to start the discussion with young readers.

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The Fog by Kyo Maclear and Kenard Pak is a lovely picture book with text by Maclear and illustrations by Pak about a yellow warbler named Warble who lives on a beautiful island and watches humans, until one day the fog rolls in. As the fog continues to spread, Warble teams up with a a Red-hooded Spectacled Female (Juvenile) to find out if others can see the fog too. The illustrations in The Fog are really beautiful and mystical and really capture the feeling of the fog. In terms of the message, I’m not really sure about it because it seems to say that awareness can solve a problem, but I suppose it is a good place to start.

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I loved the artwork and the simplicity of the storytelling. A stellar example of "less is more." However, I did feel confused at one point. I thought the bird was no longer looking through the fog, had given up. But, not on the next page. Perhaps it was foggy thinking on my part.

The review I read described the book as speaking to environmental concerns but I would say that is only the tip of the iceberg. A book enabling discussion...for readers of all ages.

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The Fog is a whimsical story about a little bird who loves to explore the icy island in which he lives. He becomes concerned after a thick fog envelopes the island for an extended period of time. The illustrations were beautiful and the friendship Warble encountered was a sweet addition to the storyline. I am sure this book will become a favorite to many young and old.

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A wonderful and thought provoking story with a message for everyone. The beautiful,and simple illustrations compliment the story and invite the reader to linger on the page as they ponder the words. I love that the story is told from the perspective of the bird. I would highly recommend this book. Its timeless message is sure to make this a book that is passed along to others for years to come.

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A really lovely story of friends found even when you can't immediately see them. The illustrations pair beautifully with the story.

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Fog is a well-written book with illustrations that depict the words in perfect form. The story of a bird searching for someone to understand and help him discover the where, why and how of the fog and not just sit idly by. He finds someone not like him that is willing to help him. I would have loved for the story to have further resolution and carry on a bit longer at the close.

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Adorable illustrations and a terrific story, THE FOG is a terrific children's book that belongs on the bookcase of every child.

This would make a wonderful shower or birthday gift.

I rate it as 5 out of 5 stars.

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The Fog by Kyo Maclear is about beating something by putting your mind to it and collaborating and also about the environment. It is a beautifully illustrated picture book that will definitely start thoughtful and much-needed discussions.

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This book is a bit wispy, like the fog. The pictures alone make it a four. The narrative is a little odd, but it appears to be a story of "fog" taking over everything, and no one noticing, except for one little bird, and one little girl.

And when they ask others, around the world, if they too see the "fog", it goes away, and things are beautiful again. I put the fog into quotes, because it seems to stand for something, but I am not sure what.

Or I might be trying to read too much into a beautifully illustrated picture book, and maybe a cigar is just a cigar.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I'd like to thank them in letting me read an advance reader's copy of The Fog by Kyo Maclear for its release.

3.5 rating. This book contains absolutely beautiful drawings, and the writing was mediocre. I loved that the bird, Warble, was persistent and tried to change something way bigger than himself. I liked that in such a minute size, it gave me good feelings.

[<spoiler>At times this book seemed weird and I didn't like everything that was said. For one, it's as if they were teaching young children to start eating insects. Also, the resolution didn't seem very well written because it's pretty much teaching children to litter in a body of water with paper to raise awareness. When there is awareness, the problem goes right away! In the real world this is not the case, it's only the starting point. </spoiler>]

Overall, the imagery was amazing while I didn't appreciate everything done in its content. (less)

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Warble the warbler lives in Icy Land where he loves to people watch. One day, a dense fog rolls in but none of the other inhabitants seem to notice or care. Soon, Icy Land becomes Fog Land, and everyone falls into a new pattern of blindness, forgetting how visible life used to be. Deteriorating into the same disinterested haze, Warble is awoken from his stupor by the sound of a singing child. Together, the pair decides to reach out to the rest of the world using little origami boats to see if anyone else is conscious of the fog. As the duo receives more and more responses, the fog begins to lift.

Award-winning Maclear creates a beautifully messaged tale about environmental conscious, friendship, connectivity, and humanity. Although a slightly more abstract concept for younger children, The Fog is a great lap-read for preschool-aged children to third graders. Paired with Maclear’s simple yet meaning-packed text, Pak’s gentle watercolor illustrations elevate the story’s power. The initial icy white and gray colors against a bright yellow, thumbprint-sized warbler set the tone for Warble’s inner and spirited self and world awareness. Children can laugh as Warble uses a fan to try to blow away the dense, all-invasive fog and feel soothed as the warbler and his new friend watch the stars over the incandescent ocean.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tundra/Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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This was a cute story about a human- watching Warble's friendship with a little girl. The illustrations are fun and there are some funny parts scattered throughout that daughter thought was silly

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I wanted to love this but I just didnt. I think I would end up having to explain a lot of it as I read it to kids.

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This was a stunning story that was well illustrated and carried a very thoughtful message for parents to share with children.

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