The illustrations are amusing, but the real reason to purchase the book is for the accompanying CD.
A dozen children’s songs by a famous Canadian singer-songwriter are here rendered for modern listeners in lively, cheerful arrangements and with illustrated lyrics that invite singing along.
Beyond the familiar title song, this collection features alphabet and counting songs, as well as nursery songs introducing months of the year, travel destinations and musical instruments. PisHier (Pierre Girard) offers illustrations featuring round-headed humans and stylized animals on backgrounds of bright, off-spectrum colors. These are energetic but not as sophisticated as those done by Abner Graboff for two of these pieces in the 1960s. The title song is pictured in its entirety, occupying nine double-page spreads. Each animal appears on the left-hand page and then again opposite, inside the old lady’s guitar-shaped stomach. Others are far more compressed, with lyrics paired to just one or perhaps two illustrations. There are some missteps. Though the words in “Sailing Over the Sea” say the seven sailors are bearded and unshaven, six of the seven depicted have no facial hair. The lyrics for “The Hungry Goat” extend over two spreads. Among the scenes shown on the first is the goat tied to the railroad track; this doesn’t happen in the lyrics until after the page turn. Emilie Clepper and Thomas Hellman perform the songs with attractive close harmony and an interesting variety of instrumental backup.
The illustrations are amusing, but the real reason to purchase the book is for the accompanying CD. (Songbook/picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-2-924217-23-8
Page Count: 44
Publisher: The Secret Mountain
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A muddled message shoots for the moon but never quite gets all the way off the ground.
A little mouse experiences BIG changes thanks to a spectacular talent.
Dee’s a singer to her core. She croons absolutely everywhere, so when her teacher Miss Pink suggests that her students bring in something that symbolizes what they enjoy doing, Dee brings in a song. As she sings it, however, her joy causes her to physically grow huge! At first this makes her feel special, but as the day goes on she feels lonely and out of place. Shrinking back to her normal size, she worries that this means she can never sing again. But thanks to the encouragement of her mother and little sister, she realizes that being special is nothing to be ashamed of. However, though her classmates have skills of their own, only Dee changes, indicating that some talents are more transformative than others. After all, while everyone is enthralled by Dee, Ren the turtle’s talent for drawing a replica of a space station is something he “made everyone watch.” The true standout in this show comes from Sinquett’s dynamic art, capable of encompassing the emotional highs and lows of elementary school kids. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A muddled message shoots for the moon but never quite gets all the way off the ground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-07806-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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