Iron Chef and debut children’s author Cora obviously understands the challenges of the working mom. Here she addresses a son’s anxiety when his mother prepares to travel for work. Mommy announces an upcoming trip, and Zoran is upset at the thought of missing her so much. She comes up with an idea: Zoran should choose “something special of [his for her] to take” on her travels so that they may “both feel better.” So begins a search for the perfect item for Mommy to pack. A favorite truck is too big, and a remote-controlled robot is too noisy. Zoran is about to despair when Mommy cheers him up: “…no matter how high I fly or how far away I travel, my heart stays home with you.” This inspires Zoran to choose a sweet picture he drew at school for his Mommy. She assures him she will keep it with her throughout her journey, and all seems amazingly well. Allen successfully depicts the vacillating moods of Zoran as well as the constant loving nature of Mommy with softened bright colors in gouache and pencil. The appeal of this well-intentioned effort is limited to those experiencing a similar situation; others will find little to entertain young readers. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3332-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
Crisp and tart by turns, this is one book worth fighting over.
Prepare to savor this title’s original yet familiar feel.
This rhythmic read features a slew of greedy animals, all with their eyes on a prize. A single red apple hangs at the “tip-tippy top” of a tree, poised to fall at any moment. Its precarious position isn’t missed by the hungry animals below, each determined to make the fruit their own. One by one, a different animal expresses their covetous desires in rhyme (“Mmm-mmm, how divine. / When it tumbles to the ground, / it’ll be all mine”). This is followed immediately by different descriptions of how each animal hides. Mouse “zippety-eeked” beneath a leaf to wait, while Hare “hoppety-boinged,” and fox “waggety-dashed.” Such delicious descriptions make this an ideal read-aloud for large groups, while Rohmann’s art plays up the crew’s wild apple-eating fantasies with a colorful combination of stained paper and relief printmaking. For all this, it’s quite satisfying when the fallen fruit finally ends up in the paws of an opossum, willing to share with a worthy worm. This one has all the trappings of a storytime classic—don’t be surprised when young readers eschew its central message and declare this book itself to be unshareable and definitely “mine!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Crisp and tart by turns, this is one book worth fighting over. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780593181669
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
A sweet debut that offers a tongue-in-cheek instruction manual for new big sisters.
In social worker Ahuja’s picture book, a well-worn topic—the arrival of a new sibling—gets a multicultural twist.
As the book opens, its young dark-skinned protagonist resists the new baby. “Baby’s loud. Baby’s messy. Sometimes Baby really smells,” she narrates. She then decides that “baby doesn’t know the house rules yet” and proceeds to induct the new baby into the ways of the family. In these spreads, Echeverri’s playful illustrations subtly reinforce this interracial family as Black and South Asian: Mom wears a dupatta during family movie night, and Grandma and Grandpa make rice pudding with their granddaughter; like the protagonist, Dad is illustrated as dark brown, but his black hair is tightly curled while hers is straight; the new baby is painted light brown like Mom but has Dad’s hair texture. As is common in this genre of books, the protagonist grows to accept and love her new sibling, her rules moving from restrictive to playful and inclusive. “The last and most important rule is, no matter what, we stick together,” she explains. “Because… / we’re a team now.” This good-hearted title is one of two concurrent releases from Ahuja; It’s Big Brother Time! is the second, which is nearly identical but depicts the family as Black and East Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally with 6.5-by-13-inch double-page spreads viewed at 33.1% of actual size.)
A sweet debut that offers a tongue-in-cheek instruction manual for new big sisters. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-288438-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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