A reassuring and relatable message tailored to kids and delivered with endearing visual appeal.
In this picture book for preschoolers, a child views his daily life during the pandemic.
Vatner’s charming, read-aloud board book acknowledges that kids may feel unsettled as their familiar routines are disrupted by safety precautions against Covid-19. The rhythmic text offers them a comforting perspective about change. In the story, a Black child, pictured in artist Svenningsen’s whimsical scenes of daily life from morning to bedtime, reasons through how things are “sometimes” different day to day, depending on the circumstances. The boy accepts those variations even if he feels that “sometimes” can be a bit tiresome. “Sometimes it’s hot. Sometimes it’s cool,” the boy says, shown playing ball at the beach in the summer and skating in the winter. “Sometimes I walk,” he says, climbing the stairs, and “sometimes” he takes the elevator. “Sometimes” he travels by car or bus; “sometimes” learning happens at school or in front of a computer at home. When the boy can’t converse with friends or family in person, he notes, he talks to them on his phone. (A grandparent is pictured on a phone screen.) The author’s matter-of-fact approach and the simplicity of the text strike a soothing note. Svenningsen’s colorful illustrations depicting the boy’s family and diverse community are lively with small details for children to pore over. (The boy’s toy tiger and goofy pet dog can be spotted throughout the book, for instance.)
A reassuring and relatable message tailored to kids and delivered with endearing visual appeal.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A spot-on series installment that imparts a valuable lesson on the importance of honesty.
Will Llama Llama come clean after breaking one of Mama’s prized possessions?
While Mama Llama gardens outdoors, Llama Llama and a friend who appears to be a young goat play inside. Their boisterous activities include pillow fighting, running up the stairs and sliding down the bannister, swinging from lamps, and jumping on the sofa—fun that is possible “Only when Mama is not there.” They move on to playing catch: Llama Llama throws vigorously, and the ball shatters Mama’s favorite picture frame. Uh-oh. What to do? The pair consider running to Kalamazoo. When Mama returns, Llama Llama first blames the wind, then a dinosaur, then a meteorite. Mama doubts these possibilities, and Llama Llama cries but admits to the lie. Mama praises his courage, and the three of them repair the frame. Later, throwing a pass outside, Mama breaks a window herself! With humor and sympathy, this tale brings to life a very common experience that will resonate with preschoolers. Mama reacts with model parenting, and Llama Llama quickly accepts the blame and the necessity of truth-telling. Morrow’s illustrations add both drama and a reassuring note. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A spot-on series installment that imparts a valuable lesson on the importance of honesty. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780593352489
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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