This story from Johnson (The Rolling Store, p. 300, etc.) consists of four short verses (``Big Shoes,'' ``Spin,'' ``Noah's Moon,'' and ``Baby Sister'') about the happy home life of a young African-American boy. Family love and the shared stories and symbols that connect the generations are pervasive themes (as they are in all of Johnson's works); Mitchell embodies these themes in vivid oil illustrations by showing the boy narrator as the child of artists and introducing each of his poems with one of the parents' paintings. In the last spread, readers see the paintings hanging on the wall of the family's home studio. This may be a book to pair with Peter Catalanotto's The Painter (1995), for two glimpses of the lives of artists. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-531-30042-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It is a land and waterscape that reaches right down into our primordial souls—the beach, here given full iconic treatment. Using scant couplets to convey the most elemental pleasures of a day at the beach, and enticingly depicted in Smith's watercolors, this will call up memories of any reader who has spent time on the ocean's shore. From that first rush down the dunes and onto the strand—“Waves roar, / Rush, and soar! / Rolling, crashing / To the shore"—to the tramp back out—“Sun-warmed skin, contented grin"—it is an experience unlike any other and Roosa's got it just right. Sandcastles, swimming, softball, snoozing. Pictured details entice: kicking off one's shoes, chasing sand crabs, enjoying trays of yummy lunch. "Noon light / Shimmers bright / In the distance, / Hot and white." Appetite and taste take on a special edge, and then the hit of post-lunch languor: "Waves lapping/ Babies napping / On the water / Sails are snapping." Good stuff, simple and viscerally transporting, the waft of salt strong from the page. Over too soon. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 19, 2001
ISBN: 0-618-02923-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
An imaginative snapshot of daily life that elevates domestic messes into a soothing lullaby.
Two siblings make messes throughout the day, with sweet and fun results.
Berries and chocolate mousse are a delicious treat for the children, even as they leave syrup spills in their wake, while crumbs from an outdoor tea party become a feast for ants and squirrels. Repurposed boxes, tins, and a hose are transformed into musical instruments, and cushions and blankets turn into a classic pillow fort. Sometimes messes result in treasured items accidentally getting broken and the two siblings squabbling, but things—and bonds—can soon be mended or made into something new. Johnson’s rhyming text pairs with homey artwork depicting a rustic setting. As each scenario unfolds, the author/illustrator lists various objects—“magic markers. / Missing caps. / Glue and pom-poms”—before revealing the project the protagonists have been working on. The repetitive ebbing and flowing pattern of the words and the narrative establishes a calming tone that sets up the characters and readers alike for a well-earned bedtime, though the mess doesn’t end here: Time for a pillow fight! The eye-catching details in the artwork and the question of what each mess will evolve into keep the book as engaging as it is cozy. Characters present white.
An imaginative snapshot of daily life that elevates domestic messes into a soothing lullaby. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781250900241
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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