Rough around the edges, but a fun summertime read for children.
A picture book about what can happen when wishes come true.
During a particularly strong heat wave, young Jasmin’s friends grumble and wish for winter, but she’s ready to celebrate. In fact, she says, she wishes that the heat would last all year—and her wish, through unexplained means, comes true. The intense heat lasts into other seasons and for several years afterward. At first, Jasmin, who doesn’t seem to age over the course of her endless summer, is happy with these results. She still loves summer, the heat and the sun, but she eventually begins to get bored with summer activities; worse yet, the lack of natural change starts to affect the plant life. Overall, the book feels inconsistent, as it sporadically rhymes and switches between casual and formal voices. “As she walked past faded gardens, little Jasmin pieced together / how the city is affected by the changes to the weather” comes off as somewhat stilted compared to earlier, more dynamic language. However, the tone is consistently happy and light. The author pairs half pages of text with half-page, black-and-white cartoonish illustrations, or with full-page color scenes. Jasmin’s friends represent a diverse range of ethnicities, and their reactions are especially amusing in contrast to Jasmin’s enthusiasm; one scene, for example, shows them all seeking “refuge in the frozen food aisle.” The brightly colored illustrations, which emphasize large eyes and long hair, can be a bit awkward from time to time, but, for the most part, nicely capture the characters.
Rough around the edges, but a fun summertime read for children.Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0982711583
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Wilderness House Press
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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