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LOVE-A-DUCK

Name: LOVE-A-DUCK
Author: Alan James Brown
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2263-0

by Alan James Brown and illustrated by Francesca Chessa ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2010

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This affable tale chronicles the adventures of a rubber duck on the loose, with Brown impishly recounting the story from the faux fowl’s point of view. Love-a-Duck is quite content to be Jane’s bath toy. However, when the waterlogged plaything is unable to squeak, it fears losing Jane’s affection. A tumble from the windowsill and the intervention of the family pooch lead to a calamitous day outside. Young readers will be entertained by the travails of the beleaguered bath toy as it finds itself unceremoniously dropped in a pond, where it comes face to face with a flock of real ducks. A happy ending is in store for the yellow toy as it returns home with its exultant squeak restored. The avuncular narrative voice engages the audience in repetitive questions and answers, and Love-a-Duck’s comical attempts at speaking provide plenty of participation opportunities. Chessa’s lively pencil sketches comically convey Love-a-Duck’s exasperation as it endures the events of the day. Her cheery, inviting paintings are the just-right complement to this quirky tale. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-8234-2263-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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I AM A PEACEFUL GOLDFISH

by Shoshana Chaim ; illustrated by Lori Joy Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2021

A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.

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What can you do when things go wrong?

Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.

A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 13, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)