IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE

Name: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE
Author: Bracha Goetz
ISBN: 978-1-945560-02-6

by Bracha Goetz ; illustrated by Bill Bolton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017

Readers may find themselves thinking about important spiritual concepts after they close the book, even if they finish it in...

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Some parents may find that they need this picture book more than their children do.

The book is a sort of checklist. It describes tiny acts of kindness that people can perform in about 60 seconds: “It only takes a minute to smile at people, especially those who really seem to need a smile.” Other items on the list aren’t so much acts as moments of quiet contemplation: “It only takes a minute to look more closely at the things I see—like a flower, and a fluffy white cloud, and the bright blue sky…and to remember Who made all those lovely things.” The book is clearly addressed to an observant Jewish audience. All the boys in the pictures are wearing skullcaps. (Most of the characters are white, but one of the Jewish boys has brown skin.) But with so much political turmoil in the headlines, even less-religious readers may appreciate the general philosophy and find the book a calming alternative to watching the news. (The endpapers are filled with pictures of clanging clocks and bells, cleverly designed to make readers appreciate calmness and mindfulness.) The repetitive format means that the story lacks drama, but these days, drama is the last thing some people need.

Readers may find themselves thinking about important spiritual concepts after they close the book, even if they finish it in a matter of minutes . (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-945560-02-6

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Hachai

Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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I WANT MY LIGHT ON!

From the Little Princess Stories series

by Tony Ross & illustrated by Tony Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010

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This long-running British series (the first Little Princess book was published in 1986) has been adapted for television there. In this installment, her dad (in a jacket and tie, wearing his crown) has read her a story and is about to turn off the light when the Little Princess shouts, “I WANT MY LIGHT ON!”—with her entire face subsumed into one of those scarlet, tooth-edged mouths. She’s not afraid of the dark but of ghosts. Dad checks under the bed, and General, Admiral, Doctor and Maid assure her there are no ghosts. The Little Princess’s room is a bright yellow, but readers see glimpses of the castle’s arches and stone steps past her doorway—and then there is a little ghost behind her bedpost, with a skeleton toy the shape of Little Princess’s own stuffie. Ghost and Princess scare each other, and he dashes off to his mother, who, as she stirs her pot of frog, worm and spider stew, assures him that there are no such things as little girls.... The pictures are clear, bold and exaggerated to great humorous effect. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-7613-6443-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Andersen Press USA

Review Posted Online: July 15, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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by Jeanne Willis ; illustrated by Tony Ross

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TRAFFIC PUPS

by Michelle Meadows & illustrated by Dan Andreasen ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2011

Other little animals drive cars around the room, illustrating common traffic mishaps. The canine cops patrol pretend...

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A menagerie of small stuffed animals comes to life in a little boy’s room, with three diminutive dogs turning into traffic police officers on motorcycles.

Other little animals drive cars around the room, illustrating common traffic mishaps. The canine cops patrol pretend roadways around the bedroom, giving out traffic tickets to a speeding mouse and toad, cautioning a goose who runs a red light and sorting out a collision between a bear and a pig. The short, punchy text written in rhyming couplets uses just a few words per page to describe the traffic flow, with lots of action words and concluding exclamation marks revving up the plot. The illustrations, in oil paint on cotton canvas, have a dreamy quality, with muted hues and a mottled effect in the solid backgrounds. Though this complements the imaginary nature of the premise, it’s an odd contrast with the pithiness of the text, which calls out for vibrant primary colors. In a clever conclusion, the final page shows the toy vehicles parked on the floor around the bed, with the animals seated in rows with innocent faces. The little boy who owns the toys wears a puzzled expression—he’d left the cars in a shopping bag in the story’s opening illustration.