Neighborly communication and care are at the heart of this excellent tale for young readers.
A boy covets his neighbor’s cat and finds both feline and human friendship in this illustrated children’s book.
When a friendly cat appears in his yard on Halloween, Benjy, a White boy, sees it as a sign that Tricks is meant to be his, though his parents have steadfastly refused to get any pets. Benjy’s mom insists the social cat can’t be a stray (“She’s too well fed. She smells too good”). Indeed, it turns out that the feline belongs to Erika, the new neighbor, who has started staying with her grandmother during the week while she attends a Deaf school in the area. Erika, a Black girl with curly hair, uses a hearing aid, lip-reads, and is learning sign language—and she makes the sign for stealing in front of Benjy. This inauspicious introduction becomes a friendship when Mrs. Currie, Erika’s grandmother, has to pick Benjy up from school after he helps rescue Tricks, whose real name is Fluffy, from the street’s misanthropic tomcat. Erika warms to Benjy and teaches him signs. When her parents suggest that Fluffy should live with them, rather than travel back and forth each weekend with Erika, Benjy proposes a win-win solution. Fluffy will live with Erika during the week and Benjy on weekends. Erika’s participation in Deaf culture is depicted as a source of well-being. She finds friends, a community, and a positive environment at her Deaf school. Pattison’s text is accessible for newly independent readers, and the simple story is undergirded by a satisfying emotional realism. Benjy’s single-minded pursuit of a pet—and his love of Fluffy—is one-note but deeply relatable. Pet lovers will be encouraged by Benjy’s and Erika’s caring, reasonable families. McBride’s sketches in graphite are useful visual cues for coming plot points in this gentle, engaging story. Erika’s signs are illustrated with clear diagrams, and an addendum teaches readers a few more.
Neighborly communication and care are at the heart of this excellent tale for young readers.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62944-209-9
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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