A charming story that encourages children to use their imaginations.
In Odusanya’s picture book, two cousins learn a valuable lesson about creativity.
A tan-skinned child named Amelia appears disorganized—her messy bedroom is a riot of loose crayons, fabrics, and yarn. But Amelia is an artist with unstoppable drive, using “every LOOSE PART imaginable” in her work. While Amelia struggles to clean her room, her Auntie Teya and her cousin Jayce arrive, ready for their camping trip. The thrill of the outing is blunted when they discover that the campsite’s now missing its playground. While looking out at the empty site, Amelia notices that the park is packed with “giant loose parts” everywhere, from scattered leaves to logs. The cousins set out to design their own “teeter-totter,” but they don’t stop there—they can re-create the entire playground, complete with a slide and a new swing, making everything by hand. There’s a touching moment of discovery when the cousins realize that “The WORLD is our playground, we just have to CREATE it.” Later, Amelia, with the help of her parents, finally organizes her bedroom’s array of “loose parts” by creating “a HOME for every piece.” The engaging text includes a section with advice for aiding a child’s development by incorporating everyday items into playtime. Youngsters will be enthralled by Medonza’s stunning digital illustrations—especially the images of stars—which create moments packed with childish wonder and energy.
A charming story that encourages children to use their imaginations.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781739007096
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Sunshine and Rain Co.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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