The story itself has some cracks, but it has both a good moral lesson and likely appeal for young kids
When life breaks your eggs, make omelets!
The story’s titular protagonist is an adult, brown-skinned Indian farmer who is taking his eggs and produce to the market on an ox cart but has to improvise when the ride turns bumpy. Unexpected potholes, heedless ducks, and speeding trucks cause Farmer Falgu’s produce to topple and the eggs to crack. Should he go back home, or can he find a way to turn things around? While the story has a valuable lesson, it seems contrived in many respects. Despite the cracks, Farmer Falgu’s eggs survive long enough for him to make a mass of crowd-pleasing omelets, and a stove magically appears when he needs one. Also, one wonders how many farmers in present-day Rajasthan travel in an ox cart to sell eggs, but perhaps some do. Similar to series opener Farmer Falgu Goes on a Trip (2016), the concise onomatopoeic sounds are in bigger and color-coded type, which provides additional emphasis and is perfect for read-alouds. The bold, thick-outlined illustrations are engaging, but they provide only a narrow reflection of rural India.
The story itself has some cracks, but it has both a good moral lesson and likely appeal for young kids . (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-8-181-903129
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Karadi Tales
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Pedestrian.
Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.
Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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