A solid selection to spark up a dialogue on anxiety.
A young robot experiences the system malfunctions associated with anxiety.
Pi is a young robot who loves all the usual things young robots on Robot-Earth enjoy: sipping DW-40, spending time with their Parental Units and friends, and playing music. Unfortunately, their imagination kicks into overdrive when their teacher announces an upcoming field trip to Olde Silicon Valley, and their excitement turns into a case of the dreaded Zaps. Feeling afraid, overheating, and running on low batteries, Pi tries and fails to carry on as usual until they crash. A hard drive–to–hard drive conversation with Mother-Board and Father-Board prompts a trip to the doctor for some advice, which helps Pi on their field trip and beyond. With their expressive blue and yellow face, Pi is a charming young protagonist who provides a welcome introduction to the normality of the Zaps—or nerves—along with some coping mechanisms and words to boot up a conversation with friends or caretakers. While many of the puns, real-world references, and computer terms may be lost on a young audience, the story and accompanying backmatter—a note from the authors on coping with anxiety and a list of resources—will be helpful add-ons to any system update. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A solid selection to spark up a dialogue on anxiety. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4197-5672-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Emotionally stunning.
A young girl misses her urban home by the sea but soon discovers an unlikely friend who helps her to adjust.
After Katherena and her mom settle into their new rural home, Katherena visits the neighboring house and meets aging neighbor Agnes, an artist who works in clay. The seasons flow one into another. Katherena draws what she sees and grows ever closer to Agnes. Agnes tells Katherena about her art and about rural life; Katherena shares Cree words with Agnes. By the time it is fall, she’s helping Agnes in her garden. However, by winter, Agnes has become too weak to be outside much. Katherena and her mother make a salmon stew that Katherena takes over for Agnes and her daughter to enjoy. When spring returns again, Agnes continues to weaken, but Katherena has a plan to help her friend enjoy spring without going outside. Flett’s simple story explores the difficulties of moving but also shows young readers how new friends can sometimes ease them; that this friendship is an intergenerational one between fellow artists is an especially sweet touch. Flett (Cree/Métis) employs her characteristically minimalist style, placing Katherena against flat expanses of greensward that changes with the seasons, birds wheeling above in silhouette. Katherena and her mom both have brown skin and straight, black hair; Agnes has brown skin as well, but she does not speak Cree.
Emotionally stunning. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77164-473-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early...
Elephant and Piggie make an appearance to introduce the first in their new series, an egalitarian introduction to superlatives.
Each one of seven blades of talking grass—of a total of eight—discovers that it is superb at something: it’s tallest, curliest, silliest, and so forth. The humor aims to appeal to a broad spectrum. It is slightly disturbing that one being eaten by purple bugs is proud of being the crunchiest, but that will certainly appeal to a slice of the audience. The eighth blade of grass is grappling with a philosophical identity crisis; its name is Walt, a sly reference to Whitman's Leaves of Grass that will go right over the heads of beginning readers but may amuse astute parents or teachers. Tension builds with the approach of a lawn mower; the blades of grass lose their unique features when they are trimmed to equal heights. Mercifully, they are chopped off right above the eyes and can continue their silly banter. Departing from the image of a Whitman-esque free spirit, Walt now discovers he is the neatest. Lots of speech bubbles, repetition, and clear layout make this entry a useful addition to lessons on adjectives and superlatives while delivering a not-so-subtle message that everyone is good at something. Elephant and Piggie's final assertion that “this book is the FUNNIEST” doesn't necessarily make it so, however.
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2635-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
