by Bethany Roberts & illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2001
Just in time for spring, Roberts (A Mouse Told His Mother, 1997, etc.) shows young readers that nature's beauty can be appreciated for both its tamed and wild sides. Inside the white picket fence a woman, accompanied by her dog, plants seeds in a freshly dug patch of earth, while outside the fence the wind blows all kinds of seeds hither and yon. While the domestic garden is watered and weeded by the woman, nature's garden gets rain but is weeded not at all. Flowers grow in tidy rows in the woman's garden, but nature's garden grows until it is wild and bright with plants and flowers in lush chaos. In direct, short sentences the text describes with brevity what the artwork shows in tantalizing brilliance. It is Greenberg's (On My Street, not reviewed) illustrations that could inspire the reader to become a young gardener. Each page shows thickly painted flora in two-dimensional, vivid glory. The author's note contains care instructions and a short list of flowers that can be grown in a first-timer's garden. Parents beware; it also contains a tip on how youngsters can help the wind by blowing dandelion seeds. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6367-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2001
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by Laurie Berkner ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2017
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands.
Berkner’s children’s song gets the picture-book treatment with illustrations from Garoche.
What kid hasn’t made a massive pillow fort and imagined all sorts of adventures? Well, Berkner’s premise is that there is a land where everything is made of pillows, and three lucky children get to visit there. (They appear to be siblings, perhaps a blended family: Mom and one girl are black; Dad, one boy, and one girl are white.) The illustrations transition between depictions of obvious imaginative play in a bedroom to a fantasy world and back again at the end, when the parents peek in at the three asleep. Garoche’s art consists of photos of papercut artwork arranged in dioramas with some Photoshop details. Reminiscent of Michael Garland’s work (though more pastel in color) or that of Elly McKay (though less ethereal), the illustrations are a mixed bag, with layers and hard edges juxtaposed against all the pillows. The king and queen of the song are obviously stand-ins for the parents. Children who know the tune may not sit still for a reading, while those who don’t may wonder at the repeated refrain.
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6467-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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by Jerry Spinelli and illustrated by Jimmy Liao ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2010
A young boy wonders aloud to a rabbit friend what he will be when he grows up and imagines some outrageous choices. “Puddle stomper,” “bubble gum popper,” “mixing-bowl licker,” “baby-sis soother” are just some of the 24 inspiringly creative vocations Spinelli’s young dreamer envisions in this pithy rhymed account. Aided by Liao’s cleverly integrated full-bleed mixed-media illustrations, which radiate every hue of the rainbow, and dynamic typesetting with words that swoop and dive, the author’s perspective on this adult-inspired question yields some refreshingly child-oriented answers. Given such an irresistible array of options—“So many jobs! / They’re all such fun”—the boy in the end decides, in an exuberant double gatefold, “I’m going to choose… / EVERY ONE!”—a conclusion befitting a generation expected to have more than six careers each. Without parents or peers around to corral this carefree child’s dreams, the possibilities of being whatever one wants appear both limitless and attainable. An inspired take on a timeless question. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-316-16226-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2010
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