Raja, an Indian family’s dog, chews everything that’s red: shawl, shoes and socks, and he and his friend, Champ (a Dalmatian), love playing with a red ball. When the ball becomes lost, he goes in hot pursuit, asking the gray pigeons and the orange kitten. He spies his red ball in Mr. Mehta’s backyard, but Mr. Mehta hates dogs—he always turns his blue hose on them. But Raja bravely slips under the violet gate, leaps onto the green cooler, slides under the silver car and gets it! When Raja returns home, he is covered with brown mud, pink netting, blue cloth and a peach sock from the assortment of colored objects he encounters in making his escape. His reward as a hero? A bath! The bright illustrations highlight each color cited, but they appear cramped on the pages. Moreover, the scratchy typeface often becomes lost against the backgrounds when it is placed over illustrations. There are better picture books on color than this Indian import—the Caldecott Honor–winning Red Sings from Treetops, by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2009), and the ebullient I Ain't Gonna Paint No More, by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow (2005), being just two. The only thing going for it is the Indian setting and names, as well as the endearing way sausage-dog Raja wags his tail. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-935279-83-9
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Pedestrian.
Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.
Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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