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WORLD FOOD ALPHABET

Name: WORLD FOOD ALPHABET
Author: Chris Caldicott
ISBN: 978-1-84780-284-2

by Chris Caldicott ; illustrated by Chris Caldicott ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2013

Caldicott is a fine photographer—a writer, not so much.

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A globe-spanning gallery of terrific food and food-related photographs is paired to a text that is not so terrific.

Presented to promote the universality and dietary importance of fresh fruits, veggies and grains (and fish, but other meats not so much), Caldicott’s sunny scenes range from bountiful displays in open-air markets to views of cooks and farmers hard at work. Some, such as an alcove bursting with fresh and jarred olives in Morocco and a dazzling bouquet of zucchini flowers in Venice qualify as out-and-out food porn. Others, such as a quartet of photos featuring one kitchen in London and three others in Rajasthan, offer intriguing insights into different methods of food storage and preparation. The accompanying commentaries, however, are threaded with bland platitudes and writing that is awkward or even nonsensical: “This man in Durban, South Africa, has so many [tomatoes] to sell that he has time to read a book between customers.” Furthermore, the author wrongly claims that potatoes “cannot be eaten raw,” covers the same topic in “W is for Water” and “J is for Journeys,” and neglects to provide tantalized readers with leads to more detailed information about the issues, customs and practices he mentions.

Caldicott is a fine photographer—a writer, not so much. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: April 16, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-84780-284-2

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

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How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

by Maribeth Boelts ; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

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Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)