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FOODIE FACES

A visually delightful experience.

A colorful picture book filled with faces created out of food.

Explore a world of vibrant and expressive emotions through an array of cleverly crafted edible faces. Readers will experience emotions such as happiness, sadness, curiosity, confusion, and confidence through everyday foods including oatmeal, eggs, bananas, lettuce, bagels, pasta, and more. Each page is dominated by a photograph of a single plate on which a food face has been arranged, with a short line naming the emotion conveyed above or below. Emotions are highlighted in the text with bright colors and capitalized letters. Simple sentences—“Sometimes I feel SAD. / Other times I feel HAPPY”—complement the eye-catching photographs. A plate on which sits an expertly cut watermelon wedge, a piece of banana, a blueberry, and a blackberry becomes background for a face illustrating anger. Though the concept is simple, the intricacies of each face beg for closer examination, and readers might find themselves transfixed in wonder at the fantastical creations. Young readers will enjoy this journey through food and feelings, and if they’re tempted to try their hands at creating their own foodie faces, there are helpful tips at the end of the book.

A visually delightful experience. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-316-42354-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

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RUBY FINDS A WORRY

From the Big Bright Feelings series

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

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)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019

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HEY, DUCK!

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.

A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.

He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts.  When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012

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