Catherine And Laurence Anholt’s Big Book Of Families (32 pp.; $16.99; Nov.; 0-7636-0323-6): Bursting with the boisterous business of family life, this volume from the Anholts is “big” on activity. Poems and captions take a backseat to spread after spread of family members shopping, chasing, tugging, napping, working, playing, fighting, feeding. The best descriptions are the ones that make poetic leaps, e.g., this exultation of a clothesline: “Skirts and shirts and dressing gowns—/The wind begins to blow—/They’re like a family upside down,/Dancing in a row!” Another page lists verbs such as “bathe,” “chatter,” “hurry,” and “play,” accompanied by fetching little drawings that place the verbs in a familial context. A celebration for families of all sizes and configurations. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-7636-0323-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Calming, positive, and serenely affirmative.
A simple recitation of the ways that people can be supportive of one another.
“This book was written in the spirit of reconciliation and is dedicated to the children, families and staff of Aboriginal Head Start programs.” That is the dedication; at the end, there is a longer note about notorious Indian Residential schools, where, for over 150 years, indigenous children in Canada were humiliated and abused. In between, all the words and art offer a warm and positive message. Simple and pointed phrases are printed boldly on white or pastel backgrounds on half of each double-page spread, with stylized, bright, watercolor illustrations on each opposing page. Each brown- or tan-skinned face has cheeks with outlined, bright pink circles; other features are sweetly expressive lines of ink, sometimes including little hearts for mouths. Birds, flowers, and gaily patterned wallpapers add to a feeling of contentment and communal power. The image of an adult and two children, eyes closed, singing outside by moonlight and beating on drums, is especially strong, as is an illustration of two hugging children of different skin colors and hair types. The titular phrase “You hold me up,” followed by simple words such as “when you listen to me,” is used several times until the final pages, where it is replaced by “I hold you up” and “We hold each other up.” A final, multigenerational picnic is lovely.
Calming, positive, and serenely affirmative. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1447-9
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An adorable small volume is just the right size for little hands and says just the right words for little voices. A line of animal children—Little Brown Puppy, Snowy White Kitten, Clever Little Monkey, and so on, each want to give their mama a present. Each finds just the right thing: carrots for Soft Little Rabbit’s mama; a big leaf for Tiny Frog’s mama; and a daisy chain for Little Pink Piglet’s mama. The only rhyme in the simple rhythmic text comes when the child gives the gift: “This strawberry’s so red and sweet. / It’s for you and me and Dad to eat,” says Little Turtle. Each mama responds with a similar refrain: “I love the strawberry, my Little Turtle, and I love you.” It ends with Billy, who knows what his mama wants: a kiss, a hug—and a “very special bug.” Sweet’s limpid and winsome images, in bright washes of color, balance the text without being cloying. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-439-45086-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2003
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