by Carl Norac & illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer & translated by Jacob Homel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010
This French import incorporates classic jazz tunes from the 1920s through ’50s with the determined aspirations of an angel-voiced Brazilian cricket. Zaz stows away to New York in a lady’s fancy hat, encountering poverty and stormy weather once there. A blue fly named Buster shows her the secret entrance (via a downward tunnel in the 26th lamppost on East 54th Street) to the Swing Café. Norac’s metaphor-strewn narrative creates interludes for specific musical compositions (heard along with the text on the accompanying CD). For example, Vess L. Ossman’s banjo tune “A Bunch of Rags” cues up when Zaz gets stuck in some banjo strings during her fall down to the café. Dautremer’s sophisticated illustrations combine surreal elements (wheeled boats and fire hydrants, for example), archival jazz posters and insects depicted as people, with merest species suggestions. Ellington dominates (no quibble there), but Fats, Cab and Ella get nods, too. The CD is narrated by David Frances and Brazilian-American singer Bebel Gilberto. The text’s a bit long on gratuitous adventure, but the package is unusual and fresh. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-2-923163-62-8
Page Count: 54
Publisher: The Secret Mountain
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
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by Jessica Love ; illustrated by Jessica Love ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023
A lovely vision for small, sensitive existentialists.
Under the desert night sky, Dad helps his child find cosmic comfort.
The vast universe has made a child feel too small despite their close family. Until, the young narrator tells us, they and their father pack their old pickup, driving through the “rubber and french fries” smell of the city and the “sweet and smoky” mountain scent to camp off-road in a remote arroyo. Together they see tiny beetle prints, jump in sand dunes, name birds, build a fire, watch the sunset, and stretch out in the truck bed. A thoughtful, small human, the child admits to being scared of “how big the universe is and how it goes on and on forever.” But equally thoughtful Dad explains that stars, beetles, birds, and even people are made of energy. Angst is not easily tamed, but snuggling and giving the constellations idiosyncratic names help, as does Mom’s back-at-home surprise: glowing stars covering the narrator’s room. In this bed under the stars, this budding philosopher finally feels “at home here in the universe.” It’s a quiet, contemplative tale that might not strike a chord with all readers but will reassure those who share the protagonist’s worries. Delicate, realistic art plays warm orange and brown hues against blues from pale to indigo, balancing (living) warmth and (interstellar) distance. The child and family are light-skinned and redheaded. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A lovely vision for small, sensitive existentialists. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1239-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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by Shaquille O'Neal ; illustrated by Theodore Taylor III ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2016
A solid sequel, easily accessible to readers who missed Volume 1.
A fictionalized young Shaquille O'Neal returns for a second illustrated story about life beyond the basketball court.
Little Shaq and his cousin Barry come home from the rec center giddy about Little Shaq's first three-point shot but are greeted with another surprise. For the first time, Little Shaq's mom has made sushi for a family dinner. Barry and the others dig in, but Little Shaq's curiosity about sushi only hits him after the last roll is gone. Little Shaq's joy and confidence on the court—best expressed when Little Shaq exuberantly tosses a postgame grape into Barry's mouth ("Three points!")—contrast strongly with his unease trying new foods or activities. A large part of the book concerns a school art project, and Little Shaq's frustration is made poignantly clear through both illustration and description ("Little Shaq crumpled up his drawing and marched back to the supply tables"). Throughout, the love among Little Shaq's family members shines through in their interactions, and the story delivers a message without triteness. Taylor’s full-color illustrations break up text on almost every page, adding warmth and energy. (Final art not seen.)
A solid sequel, easily accessible to readers who missed Volume 1. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: April 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-844-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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