Gowans’ children’s picture book features the loving relationship between a grandmother and her grandsons as they explore the natural world around them and celebrate differences in nature and ourselves.
This picture book uses alliterative, internally rhyming prose to expound on an afternoon excursion of a grandmother and her two grandsons. The trio starts by taking an outdoor walk and then explores the variety of life in grass at their feet via the magnifying glass grandmother keeps in her purse. As the three observe numerous critters in the grass, the ladybug takes center stage thanks to her uniqueness and her shaking, shimmying moves that capture the attention of the other denizens of the grass. Keeping with the upbeat mood, the story switches back and forth between the relationship between grandmother and grandsons and the adventure of what they discover with Gramee’s magnifying glass, culminating with a digression on how the ladybug is so different from the other critters and why this makes the ladybug special. Bouch’s smooth, clean ink lines filled with crayon-style color make the book appear like a child’s coloring book and will likely appeal to young children who like to draw or color. This lighthearted, fun story has a rhythm in its tone that will make readers want to get up and move to the beat. However, the prose occasionally reads awkwardly; for example, “swinging and swaying her ever so nifty, spiffy Gramee bag filled full of Gramee treasures” may seem to be patronizing baby-talk to more sophisticated young ones and challenge parents reading the story aloud. But the lesson presented is a valuable one. LaLa Ladybug, as she is aptly called, inspires Gramee and the boys to emulate her moves and do a “boogie oogie” of their own, while they celebrate the ladybug’s differences and how her differences make her the belle of the ball: “Being different and one-of-a-kind, she’s simply sure she belongs, because all her difference makes everybody happy and strong.” More likely to appeal to toddlers, this colorful, fun illustrative story inspires children to be proud of their differences. (Picture book. 1–8)
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-1434980793
Page Count: 27
Publisher: RoseDog
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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