A cute, modern new-sibling twist on a classic fairy tale.
Following her debut in Not Quite Snow White (2019), Tameika is excited about her new twin siblings, but she isn’t sure how to be a big sister. Will her new role be a smash or a flop?
Tameika asks her friend Khadija, who has some experience, how to be a big sister. Khadija insists that she “practice, practice, practice!” Tameika sets off to research her role. However, when the twins arrive, life with them is different from what she anticipated. In fact, the twins require so much from her parents, Tameika begins to feel left out. One day, Tameika learns about a family ball at which the participants with the best entrance win a prize, and she is ready to win! She decides to dress as Cinderella, complete with a horse-drawn carriage. But when her parents are delayed with the twins, Tameika is sent ahead of the rest of her family, ruining the entrance. Alone in the carriage (driven by her uncle), Tameika begins to see her hopes and dreams for the evening fade fast. This is a fresh, playful take on “Cinderella,” complete with a happy ending. This story is just right for a lap-sit or read-aloud with young children who are expecting a new sibling—or two. The fun and vibrant animation-inflected illustrations follow the story well, useful for very young readers who are not yet ready to sit through an entire story but could benefit from a picture walk. Tameika and her family present Black; Khadija has light-brown skin and wears hijab in public.
A cute, modern new-sibling twist on a classic fairy tale. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-302954-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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