A sweet song of love that humorously portrays the struggles of parenting.
A father tries to get his tired baby to fall asleep in this rhyming lullaby by an author and songwriter.
The Caucasian parent begins by acknowledging that it’s late and that he’s attempting to find solutions to end the infant’s tears: Is the baby hungry? Counting sheep won’t work until she’s older. In the uncredited illustrations, which mix realism with painterly textures, the father first tries rocking the baby in a chair before moving her to a swing, putting her back in her crib, playing his guitar, and taking her for a ride in the car. The colors of the child’s onesies indicate that this sleepless experience takes place over several days, and the father’s lyrics reiterate this pattern, proclaiming “life is one long sleep walk,” and “it’s been ten weeks since we last slept.” But while he voices complaints (loud sounds from the crying child; stubbed toes), he also has beautiful words of love for his daughter: “For you I would move heaven and earth.” Meant as much—or more—for the mothers and fathers of young, sleepless children as the kids themselves, Gutman’s (Charlie the Caterpillar, 2017) lullaby lyrics give a personal but recognizable view of parenthood. Parents of babies will likely be nodding in recognition. The soothing words of love, repeated over and over, should stick with young listeners, and a link to the song helps contextualize the rhymes and rhythms of the poetry.
A sweet song of love that humorously portrays the struggles of parenting.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4575-6141-2
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Kids will easily and enjoyably learn the basics about Australian life and culture.
In the latest installment of Roman’s (The Crew Goes Coconuts!, 2014, etc.) series—which previously examined India, France, Mexico and elsewhere—elementary age readers learn about the culture, geography and everyday lives of children in Australia.
This entry in Roman’s series opens with a map showing the shape of the country, an explanation of how it got its name, its location on the globe and the location of its capital city. Roman then mentions the major cities. From there, readers learn about things important to kids, e.g., what Australian kids call their parents—“You would call your mommy, ‘mummy’ (m-uh-mee) and your dad would answer to ‘daddy’ (Da-dee), just like in America.”—and what games they play: “cricket (crick-it), an outdoor game played on a large grass field with balls, bats, and two wickets (wick-its), which are posts that serve as goals.” Roman also describes tourist attractions, such as the Great Barrier Reef, and mentions that Australia’s currency is called the dollar, just like in the U.S. She even explains what a vegemite sandwich is—“dark brown vegetable paste [spread] onto white bread with some Western Star butter.” The story is lively and engaging, with pages of bright, colorful illustrations to help explain the text and make it more educational and appealing to kids. For instance, the page about Dad grilling on the “barbie” shows a father cooking shrimp and steaks. In past volumes, the glossary/pronunciation guide was located at the back of the book, but in this one, phonetic spellings are also sprinkled throughout the text—a distracting change, especially since some words, such as “daddy (Da-dee)” and “Jack (J-ae-k),” aren’t dramatically different in American English. Despite that, as with the other books in this enlightening and approachable series, this entry will help kids see the similarities and differences between their own lives and those of their peers around the world.
Kids will easily and enjoyably learn the basics about Australian life and culture.Pub Date: March 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-1490522395
Page Count: 28
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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BOOK REVIEW
A highly appealing novel for tweens about a resourceful animal lover and his family and friends, infused with gentle humor...
In this engaging middle-grade novel, a fifth-grader tries to find a way to earn money for the upkeep of his assorted pets.
In young Jeremy’s room, “just about every flat surface…was covered with a cage or a tank containing an animal, or some kind of pet supply.” He loves to observe wild and domestic animal behavior. But money is tight after Dad loses his job, and Jeremy has a menagerie to take care of, including a growing lizard named Firebeard. His parents explain that “[i]t’s the economy. It’s happening everywhere,” but with Jeremy’s best friend, Zac, moving away, he can’t bear to lose his pets, too. A new cage for Firebeard is a pressing priority, and Jeremy’s other critters, including a dog, a cat, a dove and a hedgehog, need food and bedding. He launches a business to teach people how to care for their pets, but it gets off to a rocky start when his first client turns out to be first-time dog owner Hallie, his snooty classroom nemesis. But when Jeremy’s couch-potato brother tells him about a kids’ TV quiz show with a big-money prize, Jeremy formulates a plan to get accepted as a contestant—and he aims to win. Debut author Dunlap’s deft narrative includes well-integrated animal lore as well as a light touch of humor: Mom practices taekwondo in the yard, and Dad has a green thumb and talks to his plants (“ ‘You can do it,’ Mr. Norbeck said, leaning close to some lettuce. ‘Reach for the sky’ ”). The author also relates Jeremy’s compassionate, single-minded interest in all things animal with genuine feeling. When Jeremy accidentally trips over his cat, Tabasco, for example, he scoops her up, apologizes and makes sure she’s not hurt, and although he really doesn’t want to work with Hallie, he still wants her little dog to be safe and well-cared-for. In the end, one of Jeremy’s moneymaking ideas pays off unexpectedly for everyone—even Firebeard.
A highly appealing novel for tweens about a resourceful animal lover and his family and friends, infused with gentle humor and informative tidbits about animals of all kinds.Pub Date: March 31, 2014
ISBN: 978-0985879105
Page Count: 140
Publisher: Carlin Pond Press
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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