Gentle encouragement for tackling life’s challenges.
YA novelist Condie teams up again with illustrator Kim for her latest picture book following Here (2023).
Condie’s spare text allows for artistic interpretation to make the story’s uplifting message clear as she begins, “Sometimes problems are short and small. Sometimes they are big, bigger, biggest.” Kim’s accompanying cartoon illustration shows a light-skinned child with short, wavy dark hair, worriedly looking at dark blotches swirling above. A page turn reveals a small, brown-skinned child with long dark hair standing alone in the rain. The narration continues: “Sometimes I don’t know where to go. Or what to do.” The two children unite on the next spread in a powerful composition, gazing across the book’s gutter at each other, with only the words “Do you?” above the longer-haired youngster. They find comfort and strength in togetherness, with words and pictures combining to support a metaphorical reading of the storms we all face. When the pair encounter a small, squiggly form on a leaf, they wonder, “Is it…anything? Is it…everything? Is it a mess / a monster.” Figurative reading falters at this point. The object appears neither monstrous nor messy, and some young kids will easily identify it as a caterpillar. The subsequent emergence of a butterfly might disappoint those readers somewhat despite its potential for symbolic richness. Still, many youngsters will enjoy the journey—and will smile as the purple butterfly spreads its vibrant wings.
Gentle encouragement for tackling life’s challenges. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9780593621899
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A colorful conversation starter about what heroism can mean.
In this picture book from former congressman and U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard officer Kinzinger, a father shows his child that heroes are found everywhere.
Christian is excited to learn that his class will be presenting about heroes in their lives. He knows exactly who he’s going to talk about: his father, an Air Force pilot. When Christian’s friend Ella declares that she will present on their teacher, Ms. Betty Jo, Christian is confused. Heroes protect people, like his father does, but Ms. Betty Jo “didn’t protect anyone.” When Christian tells his father that no one else in his class knows a real hero, Dad takes the boy on a trip in his single-engine plane. Christian observes different workers as his father explains their heroism in verse. The text switches back to prose as they land at a military cemetery, where Dad places a flag at the tombstone of a friend. Vibrant, episodic illustrations give the story momentum, while the detailed vignettes provide a good opportunity for young readers to discuss what’s happening in situations that call for doctors, police, 911 dispatch, the National Guard, and lifeguards, among others. Brief backmatter presents facts about some of the institutions and people who inspired the illustrations. Christian and Dad are pale-skinned; other characters are diverse.
A colorful conversation starter about what heroism can mean. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781400252725
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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