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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Name: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Author: Barney Saltzberg
ISBN: 978-1-939547-42-2

by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018

This sweet story will help young readers recognize their own needs—for space, time, and a good book

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When Will, a sheep, pushes his presumably older sibling, Olive, out of her chair more times than she can count, Olive decides that “Enough is enough!” and tells Will that she wants to be alone for a while.

“How do you know when enough is enough?” Will asks, now sitting comfortably on the chair. “I just know,” says Olive, and she tears a hole in the page (of the book readers are holding), escaping into a green meadow in the next page. When Will follows her—“You forgot your book!”—she suggests he look at the pictures while she’s away, assuring him that she will read to him when she gets back from her “alone time.” Olive then goes from one page to the next, (literally) enjoying her “space” and “time” alone as she floats through outer space, swims with some fish, and walks across a tight rope. When it gets “Almost too quiet,” Olive misses Will and goes back through the hole in the page, back to the chair in the living room, to read to him. Saltzberg uses simple bold type and cartoonlike images to dramatize an all-too-familiar sibling dynamic that, refreshingly, evolves to a state in which both siblings are equally considerate of the other’s wishes.

This sweet story will help young readers recognize their own needs—for space, time, and a good book . (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-939547-42-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Creston

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
RABBIT'S FEAT
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SMELL OF WET DOG
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

- BOOK REVIEW
ARLO NEEDS GLASSES
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME

by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...

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Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?

The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
GRACIELA IN THE ABYSS
by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Anna Balbusso & Elena Balbusso

- BOOK REVIEW
NO MORE SEÑORA MIMÍ
by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Brittany Cicchese

- BOOK REVIEW
YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS
by Meg Medina ; adapted by Mel Valentine Vargas ; illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas ; color by Mary Lee Fenner

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)