A charming, well-illustrated fairy tale about nurturing happiness.
When a prince needs cheering up, a young baker works to bring him the perfect loaf of challah in this children’s picture book.
In a small Jewish village, a girl named Zlatah Leah makes “the best challahs in the land.” One day, a messenger from the palace arrives with a plea for help from the king and queen. Their son, Prince Isaac, used to be cheerful, but now he never smiles or laughs. Can the villagers help? Zlatah Leah hopes her challah will do the trick but encounters mishaps with her first two loaves. As she’s mixing her third batch, the girl weeps for the prince and prays for his happiness—and her challah is perfect. Tasting it, the prince smiles and laughs at last, and eventually he and Zlatah Leah wed. In her debut book, Sharp provides a pleasing, well-told variation on classic fairy-tale motifs: the unsmiling royal, three attempts at success, and a happy ending. Though Jewish children may especially like seeing their culture centered, any reader can enjoy it. Tung provides folk art–style illustrations in rich, earthy shades that feel as warmly inviting as the story itself. A challah recipe is included, although the measurements are inexact, braiding isn’t mentioned, and the spices included aren’t traditional.
A charming, well-illustrated fairy tale about nurturing happiness.Pub Date: April 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946351-62-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mosaica Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom.
Holy bedtime, Batman!
In a sleepy-looking neighborhood under a dusky cerulean sky, a young, brown-haired, white boy goes through the motions of getting ready for bed: he brushes his teeth, takes a bath, picks up his toys, and feeds his fish. In a parallel visual narrative, beckoned by the cat's-eye–yellow bat-signal, Batman keeps Gotham safe for another night by catching crooks, locking them away, and avenging those who have been wronged. Though the two characters are quite different, through a carefully flexible narrative, Dahl and Beavers weave a convincing tale of just how similar they might be. “It’s time to take care of business” describes the child’s trip to the potty and Batman’s dive down a manhole equally well, for instance. Beavers' art is visually striking and vibrantly hued, perfect for keeping young eyes glued to each page. Dahl's economical text is cadenced with a gentle lilt, just right for a bedtime read-aloud. Young fans of the caped crusader will delight in spying their favorite characters. In the already-overstuffed bedtime-book market, this is certainly a niche read, but it hits its mark well, delivering fun without darkness. A “bedtime checklist” at the end aptly includes “story time.”
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62370-732-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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