A young girl deals with the pressures of school and family.
In this chapter book, Roman (One to Ten, 2017, etc.) introduces Susannah Maya Logan, the white, blonde-haired star of a new series. Third-grader Susannah’s day begins in a bad place, as she confronts the math homework left unfinished before going down to breakfast—late, to her mother’s annoyance—where the frustrations build. But with both parents pressed for time (“It was as if their whole life revolved around that big clock. Its ornate oversized hands dictated whether breakfast would be rushed or whether dinner would be meatloaf with a mountain of mashed potatoes or a quick pizza from Phil’s”), Susannah is prevented from sharing her concerns about school. An uneaten banana joins the uncompleted homework in her backpack, which grows heavier with the addition of an invitation to a friend’s sleepover—in a potentially haunted house—a failed math quiz, and two library books as Susannah moves through the day unable to discuss her problems with anyone. The backpack and the strains it represents expand even more in Susannah’s mind than they do in reality until they explode in a nightmare that brings her parents to her bedroom and leads to a heartfelt discussion about coping techniques (“You let your work control you, rather than the other way around”) and improved communication. Roman does a good job of capturing the frustrations of both Susannah and her overstretched parents, portraying all three as victims of circumstances rather than antagonists. The simple but enjoyable story, taking place in a single day, covers a topic familiar to many young readers and delivers a vocabulary and writing style appropriate for audiences graduating from the Junie B. Jones series and similar works. Although there is a clear message, Roman’s story—which features mostly black and white images by Arkova (Can a Princess Be a Firefighter?, 2017, etc.)—avoids outright didacticism. The final pages leave Susannah’s sleepover fears unresolved, setting up a clear launching point for the sequel.
An engaging tale for beginning readers about contending with the stress of everyday life from a child’s perspective.Pub Date: April 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5430-3461-5
Page Count: 44
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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