A pleasing and realistic approach to self-esteem.
A young dandelion discovers her true value in this illustrated children’s book.
With all the flowers preparing to compete at the Spring Concert, Dandelion feels she can’t measure up. While other blooms offer an array of hues and scents and are treasured in gardens, dandelions aren’t prized at all; no one picks them for bouquets or love tokens. “Let’s face it, Mama, no one likes a weed,” says Dandelion, crying. Although her mother reassures her that good looks aren’t everything and she’ll find her place in life, Dandelion isn’t so sure, seeing nothing but facing a weed killer or getting dug up in her future. Sitting down to sob, Dandelion gets some sympathy from a blade of grass who’s always getting stepped on, but she doesn’t listen, too caught up in her unhappiness. Then an array of insects seeking nectar, some to sustain them on long journeys (like Beatrice the butterfly), visit Dandelion and pollinate her. The insects are grateful, and Dandelion is pleased she can make them happy. She also notices that a gardener prizes her leaves for dandelion tea. In the end, Dandelion happily attends the concert, with a new understanding of how special she really is. In her book, Fabiano encourages self-acceptance and appreciation of differences. While acknowledging that Dandelion doesn’t have the glamour of other flowers, the author provides good examples of her actual strengths. Vivid writing keeps the story from becoming overly didactic, as in “The lavender spread their scent, bringing calm to all, while the daisies, with their golden petals growing from chocolate-coloured centres, spread like fire.” Discussion points also provide adults an opening to explore concepts further with kids. In his second children’s book, Santos provides sunny digital illustrations with amusing anthropomorphic features and details; Dandelion, for example, wears tennis shoes.
A pleasing and realistic approach to self-esteem.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-6886-2
Page Count: 29
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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