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VIOLET SHRINK

Name: VIOLET SHRINK
Author: Christine Baldacchino
ISBN: 978-1-77306-205-1

by Christine Baldacchino ; illustrated by Carmen Mok ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2020

A calm, effective model for stating—and listening to—needs.

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A young girl prefers solitude and quiet activities to parties.

Violet likes to hunker in a makeshift tent to write and illustrate comic books, and she often wears her purple headphones around the house. But even though she enjoys cake and games, Violet definitely does not like parties. Large groups of people make her so uncomfortable that she has adverse physical reactions, like hot ears and stomachaches. If she must attend a party, Violet imagines she is a different kind of animal that can better cope with these feelings, like a shark with no external ears to get heated. The character’s preferences and reactions mirror those of someone with autism, social anxiety, and/or sensory-processing sensitivity. The story’s climax comes before the Shrink family reunion, a particularly big party, when Violent and her dad have an open discussion about her feelings. Violet states outright, “I don’t like parties,” along with certain other things, adding, “I don’t think I ever will.” Her dad listens, and when the reunion occurs, readers see a compromise: Violet brings her headphones and comic books, and she eats dessert under the table. Mok’s illustrations are in subdued hues, with a predominantly purple, green, and gray palette that pairs well with the dark purple print. Careful lines add detail and depth while giving the perception of a tactile, orderly calm. Among a multiracial cast including the extended family, Violet and her dad, both bespectacled, possess the white skin tone of paper and appear to be of Asian heritage.

A calm, effective model for stating—and listening to—needs. (Picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: March 3, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-77306-205-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
MORRIS MICKLEWHITE AND THE TANGERINE DRESS
by Christine Baldacchino ; illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

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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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GROWING HOME

by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Eric Fan & Terry Fan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2025

Charming.

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An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.

Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.

Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)