by Barbara Johansen Newman & illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2012
Glamorous glasses for everyone! (Picture book. 4-8)
Who wouldn’t want a pair of chic new frames?
When Bobbie accompanies her cousin and best friend Joanie to buy a pair of glasses, Bobbie finds the most perfect, most glamorous pair ever. Unfortunately, she doesn’t need glasses. Joanie unwillingly chooses a pair, and the girls leave, but Bobbie just can’t forget about the ones she saw. Brightly colored mixed-media illustrations show a dizzying plethora of glamorous glasses, and it’s easy to see why Bobbie would like a pair. In fact, she starts noticing glamorous glasses everywhere she looks! Struck by inspiration, Bobbie starts missing the ball in gym and claims to be unable to see the board, which results in a visit to a very sharp-eyed eye doctor. Foiled, Bobbie talks Joanie into loaning her her glasses while their mothers are shopping, but after a series of mishaps, both girls realize that it’s better to stick with what they’ve got. Will Bobbie ever be able to wear glasses? A yard sale just might hold the solution. Charming, positive and replete with kidlike observations and gentle humor, this tale of friendship will offer encouragement to any child who needs help adjusting to glasses and will discourage teasing before it starts. A nice choice for home or school reading.
Glamorous glasses for everyone! (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59078-878-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
by Phil Rosenthal & Lily Rosenthal ; illustrated by Luke Flowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
Amusing but misleading on the nutritional and behavioral fronts.
With one taste of despised mustard, a child pivots from rejecting new foods to seeking them.
Dad takes Lil to a food truck festival. Lil, who narrates the story, is nervous; this child’s list of acceptable foods is short (pizza, rice, grilled cheese, french fries, and vanilla ice cream). Dad loves varied tastes and repeatedly reminds Lil of his rule: “Just try it!” With a “YECCCH!” or an “EWWWWWW!” Lil refuses a bagel loaded with toppings, linguini with clams, Peking duck, pizza with spinach and garlic, and a pretzel covered with Lil’s most hated of foods: mustard. Frustrated, Lil accidentally knocks the pretzel onto Dad’s shirt. Lil apologizes, takes a lick of mustard…and instantly learns to appreciate every rejected offering. Lil then uses the title mantra to pressure Dad onto a nausea-inducing roller-coaster ride. Bright, cartoon-style illustrations emphasize the pair's upbeat mood. Food neophobia, or an aversion to eating anything novel, has complex psychosocial roots. But in this blithe little fable, the child’s resistance is completely overcome with a single accidental exposure, and the formerly picky eater immediately becomes a novelty seeker. The turnaround here is implausible; if this book creates any expectations of a sudden dramatic change in a child’s behavior, that would be a disservice. Both Dad and Lil are light-skinned.
Amusing but misleading on the nutritional and behavioral fronts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781665942638
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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