Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

The water cycle gets the anthropomorphic treatment.When Little Blue breaks off from his parents-a single iceberg with two heads-he's swept away by the surrounding waves. Unsure if he'll ever return, Blue drifts farther and farther away, witnessing snow and eventually finding companionship: fish, the moon, and boats, which help him learn about winds and currents. But Blue discovers he's changing. As the sky warms, he grows ever smaller until he melts into the surrounding water; unable to help him, his friends leave. Then Blue evaporates, condenses, and becomes a cloud. In the sky, he meets new friends who help orient him toward home; on the way, Blue changes again, bringing about a happy reunion. This tale is told in easily comprehensible terms for the youngest readers and listeners. Blue is an accessible, sweet character who brings emotional depth to an important science concept. Dazzling illustrations, created with cut paper, colored pencil, and white ink, will hold kids' rapt attention while they hear, wide-eyed, about Blue's destiny. Illustrations aptly feature shades of vivid blues, but eye-popping pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples also emblazon these pages. Blue and his parents are expressive even though their faces are depicted merely with light-blue dots. An author's note explains the water cycle and climate change, and it offers tips to protect the planet. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48.7% of actual size.)A splendid springboard to both STEM and art activities. (Picture book. 3-6)

ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

It's amazing what a few faint facial markings can do for the likability of an iceberg. With two dot eyes and the hint of a mouth, Blue seems happy being stuck to his hulking parents ntil, suddenly, he breaks off and floats away. As he gets lost upon the endless ocean, his determination to return home cracks, even while he enjoys new experiences ish, boats, and, finally, warmth, at which point he begins melting into the water, where his little face lingers with worry upon the waves. Snider's cut-paper art lends lovely texture to the seascape, torn edges effectively adding tension to the water's surface. "But Blue wasn't gone. He was changing," and this tale of a lost child states its purpose, illustrating the basic water cycle as Blue "mixed with the ocean water, evaporated, condensed, and was transformed" before returning to his parents as a big, snowy cloud. Jonker keeps his text and its tale simple, accommodating the youngest audiences and providing a clear framework for the educational component. Charming and effective.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Little Blue, an iceberg, breaks off from his iceberg parents -- "CRACK!" -- and begins an odyssey that takes him far from home and through the water cycle. As with any hero's journey, there are obstacles to overcome: Blue survives melting, evaporating, and condensing. Now a cloud, Blue travels above the ocean and meets some friends who help him get back north to his (still iceberg) parents. This grand adventure has plenty of satisfying tension; the dynamic cut-paper, colored-pencil, and white ink illustrations add color and depth to the pages. An author's note talks about the water cycle, threats to polar ice, and three ways to "fight climate change."

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

The water cycle gets the anthropomorphic treatment.When Little Blue breaks off from his parents-a single iceberg with two heads-he's swept away by the surrounding waves. Unsure if he'll ever return, Blue drifts farther and farther away, witnessing snow and eventually finding companionship: fish, the moon, and boats, which help him learn about winds and currents. But Blue discovers he's changing. As the sky warms, he grows ever smaller until he melts into the surrounding water; unable to help him, his friends leave. Then Blue evaporates, condenses, and becomes a cloud. In the sky, he meets new friends who help orient him toward home; on the way, Blue changes again, bringing about a happy reunion. This tale is told in easily comprehensible terms for the youngest readers and listeners. Blue is an accessible, sweet character who brings emotional depth to an important science concept. Dazzling illustrations, created with cut paper, colored pencil, and white ink, will hold kids' rapt attention while they hear, wide-eyed, about Blue's destiny. Illustrations aptly feature shades of vivid blues, but eye-popping pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples also emblazon these pages. Blue and his parents are expressive even though their faces are depicted merely with light-blue dots. An author's note explains the water cycle and climate change, and it offers tips to protect the planet. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48.7% of actual size.)A splendid springboard to both STEM and art activities. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Little Blue is an iceberg, a lump of white floating in the sea near the North Pole, with pin-dot eyes that give him a perpetually surprised expression. As icebergs do, he breaks off from his parents (-I-ll be back soon!-) and, in a suspenseful sequence, drifts solo into the vast, white-capped ocean. After a period of viewing little but water, he spies objects in the waves--New things.// Beautiful things--which Snider (There Is a Rainbow) renders in simple, colorful triangles: dorsal fins, sailboat sails. Torn paper edges and shades of blue and orange provide striking contrasts. Intent on finding his way home, Blue encounters a new difficulty as the warm sun takes its toll -until he disappeared.- But a transformation takes place, and a whole new existence opens up for the little iceberg, offering more adventures, new friends, and a gratifying conclusion. Animating the water cycle is a project that Jonker (The Very Last Castle) takes on with humor, drama, and even momentary twinges of fear. Though an author-s note discusses climate change, the story-s message also comforts, with a character who doesn-t disappear but gracefully changes state. Ages 4-8. Author-s agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management. Illustrator-s agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

K-Gr 2 An iceberg grows up extremely bonded to his parents until a momentous day when he separates dramatically and begins a journey through the oceans and into the sky as the water cycle plays out. His reunion with his parents is very pleasing and surprising, and while it might strain scientific credulity, who doesn't love a happy ending? Charming, child-friendly illustrations in cut paper, colored pencil, and white ink convey the journey of a young iceberg and the wondrous beauty and variety of vistas along the way. VERDICT There are other books about the water cycle out there but the journey of the individual character and his wonder at the voyage brings an empathetic element that will engage young readers. John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore