by Betty Comden Adolph Green Carolyn Leigh illustrated by Amy June Bates ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2012
A lovely way to share a sprinkling of fairy dust.
The Broadway production of Peter Pan has remained a great audience favorite in theaters and on television, and now two of its signature songs are celebrated in a storybook format.
First staged in 1954, Peter Pan featured the brilliant performances of Mary Martin as Peter and Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook, with music by Mark Charlap and lyrics by Leigh. In this book, the story opens as Peter, accompanied by Tinkerbell, returns to the home of the Darling children in search of his shadow. At this point in the show, producer Jerry Robbins had asked the legendary songwriting team of Comden and Green for an additional song. Their Never Never Land is Peter’s soaring ode to a “place where dreams are born.” He then invites Wendy and her brothers to “think wonderful, lovely thoughts” and fly home with him past the “second star to the right” in the exuberant I’m Flying. And so the book concludes. Bates uses delicate watercolors to depict her fairy world, with both full-page paintings and spot art creating an atmosphere of wonder and mystery. The music is not included, alas. Get a recording for maximum magic! (Phyllis Newman, Green's wife and Tony Award winner in her own right, provides an introduction [not seen].)
A lovely way to share a sprinkling of fairy dust. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60905-249-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Apple
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Barbara Szepesi Szucs ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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by Sarah Mlynowski & Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Maxine Vee
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by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Kevin Hong
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by Anne Rockwell ; illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 25, 2018
Black and brown nature lovers, here’s one to read and share
Mother-daughter author-illustrator team Anne (who passed away in April 2018) and Lizzy Rockwell have crafted a quiet story that positively portrays a black family spending time in nature. While this shouldn’t be a news flash in 2018, it is.
A black family—mom, dad, and daughter—drives 20 minutes away from their suburb for a day hike up Hickory Hill, where they enjoy the flora, fauna, and autumnal changes. The higher they climb, the sparser the vegetation becomes until they reach the summit and take in the expansive views. This picture book offers a rare snapshot of a family of color spending quality family time in the woods. Since they think they are lost at one point, perhaps they have not hiked often, but this does not dampen their enthusiasm. Several animals make an appearance in the watercolor illustrations, done in a soft, mostly pastel palette, including a porcupine, birds, a deer, a chipmunk, and a toad. The young female narrator describes the woodpecker she sees as redheaded; this, too, suggests that she hasn’t done much bird-watching since the bird is a pileated woodpecker, and a kid who had grown up birding would know it by both sound and sight. Still, readers will appreciate the daughter’s delight as she chooses the trail to hike and really notices her surroundings.
Black and brown nature lovers, here’s one to read and share . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2737-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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