A sweet, simple story about family love.
A young child wakes up early in the morning, greeting cat, dog, and mother.
Together, mother and child get ready, for work and school respectively. Before they part, the mother reminds her youngster that even though they will be in different places all day, they will both be holding each other in their thoughts. The remainder of the book shows how the mother and child lead parallel days in their separate worlds. While the young child learns a new song, the mother walks into her office with earbuds in, presumably also listening to music. The mother has lunch and snack with a colleague while the child has lunch and snack with school pals. The tot fingerpaints while the mother and her colleague do paperwork. In the evening, the parent and child reunite, eager to find out about each other’s days. The book’s gentle, rhyming text tells a lyrical story about love, growth, and family. The illustrations, which utilize a soothing pastel palette, cleverly highlight the parallels between the lives of adults and children. The pictures feature diverse supporting characters—one of the mother’s colleagues and one of the child’s classmates appear to be Black while other characters are racially ambiguous—but the story centers a White family with heterosexual parents and thus breaks no real new ground. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet, simple story about family love. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20653-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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