Nutrition advice geared more toward adults than children.
In this debut picture book, a dog who dislikes a baby’s mushy leftovers discovers that yummy vegetables solve the problem.
Most dogs love scarfing up food that’s dropped on the floor, but not Lucy—not when Billy, the young, pale-skinned grandson of her owner, comes for dinner. Although Billy is adorable, sweet, and plays with Lucy for hours, the food that he drops from his high chair is soggy and sticky, not Lucy’s idea of treats. But what if Billy liked his food so much he finished it all? Lucy goes looking in the backyard for tasty things he might like. The vegetables and fruits, such as Green Zucchini, Bright Blueberry, and Awesome Avocado, explain how delicious and wholesome they are. Lucy brings a sampling for Grandma to cook. Billy eats every bite, making everyone happy. In her book, Machi’s nutritional advice is well-intended, and it’s true that Billy is old enough to be eating solid foods. Still, the tips are puzzling considering that Billy—barely verbal—doesn’t make his own meals. Much of the vocabulary is over a toddler’s head, such as “beta-carotene,” “texture,” and “flavonoids.” While Billy (and Lucy) might enjoy less gooey food, the proper audience for this book seems to be Grandma. In addition, parenting experts suggest that food-throwing is about entertainment, experimenting, or simply being full, so the link to nutrition in solving the problem is a bit tenuous. The uncredited illustrations are colorful but stiff.
Nutrition advice geared more toward adults than children.Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2017
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2018
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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