WHAT IS A CHILD?

Name: WHAT IS A CHILD?
Author: Beatrice Alemagna
ISBN: 978-1-84976-412-4

by Beatrice Alemagna ; illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2016

If this did not follow the familiar trajectory of a book read before bedtime, it would be tempting to pull it entirely out...

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A striking, illustrated musing on children and childhood.

On verso, white pages background large-print sentences that contemplate the nature of children, while on recto, mixed-media portraits of racially diverse children complement the text. The thoughtful, sophisticated art sometimes has a grotesque edge, ruling out as its audience those children who are still in the developmental stage that conflates fantasy and reality. Likewise, the text—both philosophical and whimsical—seems geared to adults and precocious children, as its beauty lies in hearing and pondering words rather than in following a story with a plot. For example: “The children who decide not to grow up will never grow up. They keep a mystery inside them. So that even as grown-ups they will be moved by little things: a ray of sunshine or a snowflake.” The reinforced idea that children need “kind eyes” is lovely but, again, more likely to be appreciated by adults than by the putative audience. While Alemagna’s A Lion in Paris (2014) will easily charm readers aged 3 to 93, this book’s more limited appeal will work for a young child sitting with a beloved, trusted relative—or as a gift for teachers, parents, and any adults who revel in the perceived innocence and wonder of children.

If this did not follow the familiar trajectory of a book read before bedtime, it would be tempting to pull it entirely out of the category of children’s picture books . (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-84976-412-4

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Tate/Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
BEST THING EVER!
by Beatrice Alemagna ; illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna ; translated by Jill Phythian

- BOOK REVIEW
PEPPER & ME
by Beatrice Alemagna ; illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna

- BOOK REVIEW
A DAYDREAMY CHILD TAKES A WALK
by Gianni Rodari ; illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna ; translated by Antony Shugaar

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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RUBY FINDS A WORRY

From the Big Bright Feelings series

by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...

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Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.

Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)