While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic.
Faced with uncertainty during a pandemic, a Chinese girl finds her inner courage.
The simple, direct narrative introduces 6-year-old Nina, who lives with her mother while her dad works overseas in Africa. One day her mom sits her down to talk about a virus. Referring to the virus as “little monsters,” Mom explains the monsters bring disease, spreading in three ways: “1. Sneezing 2. Coughing 3. Touching.” Her father concurs, adding tips to protect themselves, such as staying indoors, wearing a mask outdoors, and maintaining healthy habits. Days later, reality hits when Nina’s mother isolates herself in the bedroom with a mask and a message to keep away. The mother explains through the door that the grocery store she visited was reported to have an outbreak of cases and she must isolate for 14 days to prevent spread. Emotive brown- and gray-toned textured illustrations portray Nina as she processes her feelings, from anger to fear despite online calls with her parents. Thankfully, Aunt Mary arrives, and she addresses Nina’s concerns with a 14-day plan of action. Empowered, Nina assures her mom that she will take care of her. Narrator Nina frankly worries that her mother will die, and the book ends with her mother still in quarantine; young readers may well have many questions.
While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64074-117-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cardinal Media
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
A full-hearted valentine.
A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow.
“This is a kid,” Schu begins. “This is a kid in a class. This is a class in a hall….” If that class—possibly second graders, though they could be a year to either side of that—numbers only about a dozen in Jamison’s bright paintings, it makes up for that in diversity, with shiny faces of variously brown or olive complexion well outnumbering paler ones; one child using a wheelchair; and at least two who appear to be Asian. (The adult staff is likewise racially diverse.) The children are individualized in the art, but the author’s narrative is addressed more to an older set of readers as it runs almost entirely to collective nouns and abstract concepts: “We share. We help. / This is a community, growing.” Younger audiences will zero in on the pictures, which depict easily recognizable scenes of both individual and collective learning and play, with adults and classmates always on hand to help out or join in. Signs of conflict are unrealistically absent, but an occasional downcast look does add a bit of nuance to the general air of eager positivity on display. A sad face at an apartment window with a comment that “[s]ometimes something happens, and we can’t all be together” can be interpreted as an oblique reference to pandemic closings, but the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A full-hearted valentine. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0458-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet reminder to pause and ponder life’s everyday wonders.
A young girl models mindfulness as she savors each moment.
This charming and vibrant picture book opens in Tisha’s backyard, where she is reaching skyward as falling blossoms float toward her. Her joy and anticipation are disrupted by a series of “hurry up” commands from those around her, who prod her to rush for the school bus, attend an assembly, and make sure that she doesn’t miss lunch. The externally imposed directions conflict with Tisha’s natural curiosity, which compels her not only to “listen to the sounds” and to count the spots on a ladybug she finds during recess, but also to create connections between a book she finds about space and the space shuttle she imagines but cannot finish drawing because “it’s time to put the crayons away.” When Tisha requests “a little slowdown,” she and Mommy decide to walk home and play “How Many?” along the way; they also snuggle on a park bench and name all the pigeons. What began as a harried day ends on an idyllic note with a family picnic under flowering trees; when the wind blows, Tisha can catch a blossom at last. Artful and striking illustrations produce a multitude of visual textures that delineate individual blooms, sketch Tisha’s neighborhood, render colorful yet subtle details of characters and clothing, and deliver painterly impressions. Tisha and her family are tan-skinned with dark hair; her classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet reminder to pause and ponder life’s everyday wonders. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2198-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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