If this is a gag, it’s not a funny one.
A crash course in late-stage capitalism for entitled children.
Parents who’ve made it, professionally and financially, and who see themselves as captains of industry may enjoy indoctrinating their toddlers in the ways of the boardroom. This book may also have some appeal for the aggressively upwardly mobile. It would seem, though, to be of niche appeal at best, and less to children than to their parents. There is something to be said for teaching children how the world works, but teaching kids that their destiny is to dominate the marketplace and become a plutocrat, or to spend the rest of their lives aspiring to do so, seems cruel and stunting. While such concepts as Core Values (enumerated as Excellence, Trust, Honesty, and Integrity), Ethics, Mission, and Motivation sound positive, this work is clearly skewed toward the 1%. The only negatives mentioned are Bankruptcy, Risk, and Taxes (the creepy grin on Uncle Sam’s face clearly implies he’s getting away with something nasty; no mention is given of the useful things our taxes fund). Benefits are mentioned; such terms as Uninsured, Minimum Wage, Wealth Inequality, Union, and Strike are not. The illustrations depict an ethnically diverse cast of men and women in white-collar roles, portraying an unrealized ideal. Glass Ceiling and Tokenism don’t appear.
If this is a gag, it’s not a funny one. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64170-220-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
Smoother rides are out there.
Mommy and Bonnie—two anthropomorphic rodents—go for a joyride and notice a variety of conveyances around their busy town.
The pair encounter 22 types of vocational vehicles as they pass various sites, including a fire engine leaving a firehouse, a school bus approaching a school, and a tractor trailer delivering goods to a supermarket. Narrated in rhyming quatrains, the book describes the jobs that each wheeled machine does. The text uses simple vocabulary and sentences, with sight words aplenty. Some of the rhymes don't scan as well as others, and the description of the mail truck’s role ("A mail truck brings / letters and cards / to mailboxes / in people's yards) ignores millions of readers living in yardless dwellings. The colorful digitally illustrated spreads are crowded with animal characters of every type hustling and bustling about. Although the art is busy, observant viewers may find humor in details such as a fragile item falling out of a moving truck, a line of ducks holding up traffic, and a squirrel’s spilled ice cream. For younger children enthralled by vehicles, Sally Sutton’s Roadwork (2011) and Elizabeth Verdick’s Small Walt series provide superior text and art and kinder humor. Children who have little interest in cars, trucks, and construction equipment may find this offering a yawner. Despite being advertised as a beginner book, neither text nor art recommend this as an engaging choice for children starting to read independently. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Smoother rides are out there. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37725-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers.
The team of Costain and Lovšin (Daddies are Awesome, 2016) gives moms their due.
Rhyming verses tell of all the ways moms are amazing: “Mommies are magic. / They kiss away troubles… // …find gold in the sunlight / and rainbows in bubbles.” Moms are joyful—the best playmates. They are also fearless and will protect and soothe if you are scared. Clever moms know just what to do when you’re sad, sporty moms run and leap and climb, while tender moms cuddle. “My mommy’s so special. / I tell her each day… // … just how much I love her / in every way!” Whereas dads were illustrated with playful pups and grown-up dogs in the previous book, moms are shown as cats with their kittens in myriad colors, sizes, and breeds. Lovšin’s cats look as though they are smiling at each other in their fun, though several spreads are distractingly cut in half by the gutter. However delightful the presentation—the verse rolls fairly smoothly, and the cats are pretty cute—the overall effect is akin to a cream puff’s: very sweet and insubstantial.
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-651-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
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