Few books so truthfully represent a child’s wandering, unwavering wondering.
A boy daydreams, wondering “where the birds are flying to,” “who makes the clouds,” “what the best playground in the world might be like,” “what the crossing guard’s sign would taste like,” and “how the stars shine.”
Grown-ups don’t like his reverie one bit. They hiss harsh reprimands, needling him to stay focused and not to let his imagination carry him away. His art teacher, however, encourages him to do just that and offers him a blank piece of drawing paper. The humdrum sepia tones of everyday life disperse as colorful, sparkling birds carry the boy (and readers) aloft into the upper atmosphere of his imagination, a place throbbing with light and color and spinning with spiraling shapes and twisty-turning coils. Children quickly see these delightfully elaborate illustrations (brimming with round bears, bustling bunnies, swirling stars, and puffy clouds) as the boy’s unfettered imaginings, his answers to all those earlier questions. They could easily spend hours belly-down on a rug pondering each of the five double-page spreads, all spectacularly whimsical, humorous, wild, bold, and unbridled. While adult sensibilities might find these pictures overwhelming (or even a bit like a roller-coaster ride after too much candy), children won’t question them at all.
Few books so truthfully represent a child’s wandering, unwavering wondering. (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7957-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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