A soothing, slumber-inducing story for young readers.
A sleep aid for preschoolers by prolific children’s-book author Egan (The Kitten Who Wants to Be the Boss of Her Temper, 2015, etc.).
Misti, a kitten, wants very much to go to sleep, but she has many things on her mind. Fortunately, she has a fairy grandmother who’s eager to help her and her friend (the reader) drift off. First, the fairy grandmother summons two unnamed elves to put Misti’s worries in a basket and take them to their workshop to develop solutions. Three girl teddy bears, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, also provide assistance. The whole party floats down a staircase and encounters a drowsy puppy and Snuggles, a dozy squirrel, both of whom convey advice in rhyme (“Slowly breathe in at the end of the day, / Slowly breathe out to send worries away"). Finally, the fairy grandmother produces magical, sweet-smelling petals that, along with a magic spell, will send the most reluctant, recalcitrant preschooler to slumberland. The story of Misti, though, is only one component of Egan’s program. The author also includes instructions on how adults may best use the story as well as general advice for falling asleep that’s suitable for all ages. (She also includes summaries of other books in The Kitten Who… series.) Egan makes the story interactive and soothing, encouraging caregivers to read it to the end whether children fall asleep or not. She helpfully provides opportunities to insert a child’s name into the narrative (“Do you like doing these things too, [name]?”) as well as guidelines on which words to emphasize or draw out. The rather silly story is primarily intended for preschoolers, but the advice is useful for all ages (although adult insomniacs are unlikely to buy this book for themselves). Egan also makes quite clear that the illustrations are secondary to the narrative; visualizing the story for oneself is part of the process.
A soothing, slumber-inducing story for young readers.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-925110-84-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Leaves of Gold Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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