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MARGOT AND THE MOON LANDING

Name: MARGOT AND THE MOON LANDING
Author: A.C. Fitzpatrick
ISBN: 978-1-77321-360-6

by A.C. Fitzpatrick ; illustrated by Erika Medina ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2020

A charming picture book about both a child and her obsessions and frustration, anger, and repair.

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Margot is interested in only one thing: space travel.

When she regales others with her knowledge, they steer her attention to other topics (her mother), or are “unimpressed” (her teacher), or would rather play kickball (her friends, a multiracial bunch). One night, Margot wishes she never had to talk about anything but space ever again. And lo—the next morning, she can only recite Neil Armstrong’s famous speech from the 1969 moon landing, greeting her mother with “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” instead of “good morning.” Throughout the day, Margot grows increasingly frustrated, and, that night in her bedroom, she explodes. She writes her feelings on her wall—in marker. But her mother, upon seeing the scrawled-up wall, does not reprimand Margot: She reads what Margot’s written and writes: “I hear you” alongside. The pair repairs the wall—and the relationship—and creates a space for Margot to write her thoughts. “Margot wasn’t sure when exactly her voice came back,” Fitzpatrick writes. “But she was glad she had someone there to hear it.” Medina’s empathetic illustrations skillfully convey Margot’s many emotions—hurt, frustration, anger—with color, expression, and perspective. Both Margot and her mother are brown skinned; their dinner of “dahl and rice” suggests they are of South Asian heritage.

A charming picture book about both a child and her obsessions and frustration, anger, and repair. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 14, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-77321-360-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Annick Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE WATER PRINCESS

by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...

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An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.

Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOU LISTENING?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

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WHO I AM
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
CAN YOU SEE IT?
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)