Children less patient (or good-natured) than Johnny aren’t likely to take a cue from his example, but the episode certainly...
Family and community values underpin this tale of a young Ojibwe child forced to wait while local elders get first crack at a communal feast.
“I like to EAT, EAT, EAT,” is Johnny’s constant refrain as his grandma repeatedly restrains him from chowing down on wild rice, fry bread and luscious sweet rolls before and during a banquet at the community center: “Bekaa,” wait, she admonishes, “we let the elders eat first.” So well does Johnny finally absorb this lesson that, when his turn does at last come, he hesitates not at all to call an elderly latecomer over to take his seat at the table before grabbing a single bite. Happily, instead of eating, she plunks him in her lap, and after that, it’s goodbye, sweet roll. Ballinger’s illustrations are clearly influenced by an animation aesthetic, and young readers may find the huge, staring eyes and oddly contorted mouths of the figures a distraction, but it’s great to see a trim, modern grandma in jeans and a baseball cap, her hair initially tied back with a scrunchie. In both text and illustrations, the attitude-modeling is delivered in a gentle, nonlecturing way. Both author and illustrator are members of the Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Children less patient (or good-natured) than Johnny aren’t likely to take a cue from his example, but the episode certainly opens the way to further discussion and socialization. (Ojibwe glossary) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-87351-926-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Moral of the story: an excess of imagination may get you into trouble, but it’s clearly worth it.
The perils of imagination reach their peak when a little girl unleashes an extraordinary ability.
The daughter of two sane, sedate, dull-as-dishwater parents, pale-skinned, red-haired Poppy Pickle cultivates a magnificent imagination that goes unappreciated. Sent to clean her room, Poppy instead discovers that she now has the ability to bring whatever she imagines to life. From a monocled mammoth and a “philosophical beaver” to an “uptight garden gnome,” Poppy allows her thoughts to go wild. Too wild, as it happens. All methods of dispersing the loony troupe prove ineffective, until Poppy imagines something simple: a door. Her parents, aghast at the wreckage left behind in her room, don’t believe a word of Poppy’s explanation. That is, until that monocled mammoth makes a significant reappearance. Poppy’s desperation to hide her horde is a bit inexplicable, as she’s clearly in more trouble without them than with them. That quibble aside, Yarlett renders Poppy as an irrepressible and irresistible ball of energy. There’s little difficulty believing she’d conjure up a ghost octopus (or “ghostopus”) given half the chance. The art, akin to that of Oliver Jeffers, is filled with tiny details that also add to the fun, and the creatures’ dialogue, spoken in bubbles, will elicit chuckles.
Moral of the story: an excess of imagination may get you into trouble, but it’s clearly worth it. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8911-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Lovely and quiet, this is a book to savor again and again.
Following Ming Goes to School (2016), the little girl is back for another subtle journey through the year’s seasons.
“Ming and Poppy know their way” and travel back and forth on foot, by bus, from school, through the park, to restaurants, on noisy streets, and in quiet places. Ming’s name is Chinese; Poppy could be Asian or white, allowing readers to imagine various family structures. In any case, their loving relationship is evident in the sketchy line-and-watercolor illustrations showing a little pale-skinned girl with black pigtails that stick straight out and a tall pleasant-looking gentleman, often holding hands or sitting close together, enjoying ice cream or doughnuts. The seasons are never mentioned in the spare, poetic text but are noted in the clothing, as Ming’s red school jumper is covered up by her coat and hat; boots replace shoes, which return; and finally she’s in blue shorts and sandals. Red leaves drop, and new spring flowers bloom to give further proof of the time of year. The little girl is mostly carefree, enjoying her friends and her grandpa, but there is a hint of childhood strife in the line “by sticks, by stones, / by names that sting,” when three children are shown whispering to one another and Ming plays alone on the sidewalk as Poppy looks sadly on.
Lovely and quiet, this is a book to savor again and again. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5107-2943-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
