A charmer about finding self-confidence and one’s place in a family.
A boy determines to add luster to his family name.
After moving into a new home, Chuck Whipplethorp learns his paternal forebears experienced exciting adventures—though, in the case of his dad, whom he believes “boring,” maybe not so much. He makes a list of his ancestors’ exploits—mountain climbing and deep-sea diving, for instance—and fancifully sets out to emulate them but has little luck, considering oceans and mountains aren’t in his neighborhood. Hunting for and collecting insect specimens, activities his grandfather enjoyed, seem more doable pursuits. Chuck finds a cool beetle, but killing it and other bugs is unpalatable, so he proceeds by gathering ones already deceased. Soon, Chuck, employing lots of ingenuity—and sundry household items—fashions a nifty, multilevel beetle house, which attracts a host of other (live) insects and dad’s accolades. This delightful story highlights a warm, comforting, realistic son-father relationship. The dynamic, wonderfully effective pen-and-watercolor illustrations present the protagonists as white as paper—even their clothing—against delicately colored backgrounds and are particularly accomplished at depicting Chuck’s imaginary adventures and scenes of nature. Insect fans will especially appreciate the spread featuring various colorful insects (scientific nomenclature included) and the 90-degree page turn that provides a glimpse into the very inventive interior of Chuck’s beetle condo. Endpapers buzz with lively details.
A charmer about finding self-confidence and one’s place in a family. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-53825-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
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BOOK REVIEW
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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