This quiet book effectively describes the meditative, sometimes-frustrating process that growing a plant entails.
A young child experiences the work, waiting, and reward of growing an avocado tree from seed.
In fewer than 150 words, Dunklee traces the path from seed to tree. When an avocado seed pops free during dinner prep, a smiling child retrieves it, pokes it with toothpicks for supports, and sets it atop a glass of water in hopes that it will sprout. The child and a pet cat work side by side to nurture the new plant. Each double-page spread captures one step in the journey that includes both the practical (potting, watering, ensuring sunlight, and replanting outside) and the whimsical (an encouraging song, lucky coins, and “supportive friends”). Counting to three creates the gentle rhythm of the story. Actions are often completed in three steps and described in three words: “One pot. Two careful hands. Three scoops of soil. Pat, pat, pat.” Similarly, three words, sometimes repeated, emphasize key emotions, as “I…GIVE…UP!” gives way to “HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!” Simple illustrations, primarily in soft shades of blue, yellow, and avocado, show steps that readers could duplicate at home. The cat’s attention (or inattention) adds humor; its glowering inclusion with a stuffed bunny and toy robot as one of the “supportive friends” is particularly funny. The child and their parent present white.
This quiet book effectively describes the meditative, sometimes-frustrating process that growing a plant entails. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77147-308-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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