Keep sniffing to find a better story; though innocuous, this one is unlikely to be a favorite.
Brock Eastman teams up with his 7-year-old daughter in the family-oriented follow-up to Daddy’s Favorite Sound (2019).
In this tale that’s loosely inspired by a passage from 2 Corinthians about the “pleasing aroma of Christ,” Little Lion catches a whiff of delicious cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. This sends the anthropomorphic cub, who wears overalls and a T-shirt, on a quest to discover her mother’s favorite smell. Depicted in Miles’ illustrations as variously colored inky emanations, some smells encountered along the way are pleasant, such as the smells of rain, campfire, and fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies. Others are not and are clearly presented in an attempt to be humorous, as not even a lion is likely to claim dirty diaper, hot compost, or generally odorless tulips among their favorite scents. After encouraging Little Lion to “keep sniffing” throughout the day, Mommy Lion finally gives in while snuggling together with her cub before bed: Her favorite smell is the smell of her children. This lion family inhabits a comfortably appointed home and wears Western clothing (but no shoes). The text is on the long side for a preschool audience, and the repetition of Little Lion’s question and Mommy’s answers, rendered as a rhyming couplet, grows tedious. The scriptural connection is a stretch, a closing prayer a bit trite, and suggested discussion questions tepid, though the recipe for chocolate-chip cookies might tempt some readers.
Keep sniffing to find a better story; though innocuous, this one is unlikely to be a favorite. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7369-7476-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harvest House
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfactory, Christian-themed guide to coping with worries.
What do you do when anxieties seep in?
A child with short brown hair, light skin, and thick glasses is plagued by Worry, an amorphous gray blob with large eyes. As the child considers various activities, Worry supplies some answers to its favorite question—“What if?” Like what if you fall while rollerblading? Or what if you get soaked in the rain on the way to the school bus? When this happens, pretty bad feelings arise. An unseen narrator tells readers that talking to God can make things better. As the child decides to “think about God’s promises,” a protective bubble forms around them. The child rollerblades, trusting God to take care of things, and finds courage and security in the good things planned even when some things go wrong. In the end, God is more powerful than Worry. Opening with a Bible verse, this book is an affirmation of a Christian perspective that belief in God will see a person through uncertain times. Caregivers and educators should note that the book focuses more on typical worries than clinical anxiety. The boilerplate illustrations add some interest to the pages, doing a bit of the heavy lifting left from the general and bare second-person narration. Racially diverse children populate the background. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A satisfactory, Christian-themed guide to coping with worries. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781546012542
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Better stories about Hanukkah abound.
A family of latkes prepares for Hanukkah.
The members of the Latke family are all potato pancakes, even their dog, Applesauce. As Hanukkah approaches, daughter Lucy greets readers while her parents fry jelly doughnuts, her older brother holes up in his room being a teenager, and Grandpa disrupts the holiday by offering up an alternate spelling: “CHHA-nukah!” Applesauce explains that both can be correct. The usual celebrations continue, with all participating except for the teenager. And then Grandpa commences to tell the story of the holiday with his own twist. It was not the Maccabees who fought for freedom, it was bees: “MEGA-BEES!” Applesauce tries to correct this version, but Grandpa continues. The enemy was not Antiochus: It was “ALIEN POTATOES FROM PLANET CHHHHH!” And while the Maccabees were low on oil, the Mega-Bees are low on honey. Also in this revised account is a giant dreidel that calls to mind the Trojan horse and from which the Mega-Bees emerge to “[mash] those tater tyrants into tatters.” Add the usual ingredients and you have, of course, “POTATO LATKES!” Silverberg’s narration brings to mind a Borscht Belt routine that may be appreciated by some adult readers but is just as likely to cause confusion among its audience. His digital illustrations depict latkes that resemble brown blobs and only add to the general muddlement.
Better stories about Hanukkah abound. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47912-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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