THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYONE

Name: THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYONE
Author: Anahita Teymorian
ISBN: 978-1-910328-53-8

by Anahita Teymorian ; illustrated by Anahita Teymorian ; translated by Delaram Ghanimifard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

Gentle political commentary reminds everyone about the power of kindness but is itself incomplete.

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An intimate musing on the nature of space.

A child marvels that at each stage of life, while growing, there always seems to be enough room: in the womb, for many stuffed animals squeezed into bed, for all the books in the library, and even for all the stars in the sky. Life may be crowded at times (the tot’s parents playfully curl around the perimeter of the frame with hopelessly long limbs), but there is always intentional space kept around the child. However, when the child grows up, space becomes a commodity. People begin to fight, whether that be for personal space on a bus, vocational space (to find one’s place in a company), over bathroom use, or in the geopolitical sphere—two tanks face off. The narrator poses a solution: “If we are kinder, and if we love each other then, in this beautiful world, there’s room for everyone.” Here, Iranian author/illustrator Teymorian’s characters are no longer stooped and curled but instead stand upright and happy. With so many people forcibly displaced from their homes throughout the world, one can only hope this message of kindness is heard. Such a strong global wish is in stark contrast to the lack of racial diversity in the illustrations. A few shades of skin are offered, but the majority present white.

Gentle political commentary reminds everyone about the power of kindness but is itself incomplete. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-910328-53-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiny Owl

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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GRUMPY MONKEY

by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...

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It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?

When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ARCHIBALD AND THE FURRY DINOSAURS
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

- BOOK REVIEW
GRUMPY MONKEY FRESHLY SQUEEZED
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

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GRUMPY MONKEY PARTY TIME!
by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)