A humorous tale that will encourage young readers, especially girls, to pursue science—and trust that they have unique...
Twersky (Curlee Girlee, 2016) and Wolcott’s (My Funny Ears, 2016, etc.) spiral-haired protagonist makes a triumphant return in a sequel about finding and embracing your talents.
Curlee Girlee, a pink-wearing, curly haired girly girl, is incredibly excited about her first day of “big-kid school”: first grade. But of course, her hair won’t cooperate. After a run-in with her annoying brother, Curlee turns to her big sister, who helps her tame her locks with magical barrettes. In first grade, she’s happy to be reunited with her kindergarten friends, but when her teacher announces a talent show, she worries: “I’m not good at anything but making a big mess.” She tries to copy her friends’ talents: Tai does ballet, Josie sings, and Henry does magic tricks, but each of Curlee’s attempts goes wrong. She finally has the idea that science could be her talent and steals her brother’s science kit. She first practices making a volcano at home under her mother’s watchful eye and later creates one on her own in class—an effort that turns out to be a huge hit with her friends and her new teacher. Curlee’s class is wonderfully diverse in both its talents and its ethnic representation, though the students have a strange aversion to science for first graders. Wolcott’s soft-edged, digital illustrations, as in the first Curlee Girlee book, perfectly capture their young heroine’s attitude. They also show that there’s no conflict between girls’ liking pink and sparkles and being great at science—and that being messy in the right way can encourage others to make experiments of their own. Twersky’s vocabulary and simple sentences make this a good choice for newly independent readers, who may be dealing with their own fears about fitting in or with finding a way to be special. Some readers may find it odd that Curlee’s mother doesn’t scold her (or impose other consequences) for the theft of her brother’s science kit, but Twersky once again shows a lively girl and a loving family.
A humorous tale that will encourage young readers, especially girls, to pursue science—and trust that they have unique talents.Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9968438-4-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sandbox Publishing LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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