Well-meaning but misses the mark.
An overview of many adoption scenarios.
The cover art depicts a diverse (several stereotypically so) array of cartoonish children holding hands around a globe. In style it differs greatly from the photographs included on most pages, and this isn’t the only way this well-meaning title falls short. A major misstep is having the eponymous Ally, a white girl who isn’t an adoptee, as narrator, as her lack of immediate connection to adoption undermines her commentary. Ally’s parents are expecting a baby, and this part of her life is juxtaposed with her pregnant babysitter’s decision to place her baby for adoption with Ally’s next-door neighbors. Ally then describes friends and relatives who are adoptees, some of whom are people of color, unlike the others mentioned above, all of whom appear to be white. To the book’s credit, various adoption scenarios are included (stepparent, transracial, international, and kinship), and foster care is mentioned, too. But none of these scenarios is well-developed, lending a disjointed feeling to the book as Ally glosses over others’ stories. Nods to such famous adoptees as Steve Jobs (oddly referred to in the present tense even though he is deceased), gymnast Simone Biles, presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford (the latter not depicted in a photo), and singer Faith Hill are included, as are references to Superman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and depictions of Jesus and Moses, both depicted as white men. Following Ally's narrative is a two-page note directed at caregivers on how to talk about adoption with children.
Well-meaning but misses the mark. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9794430-8-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WordSlinger Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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
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