A relatable and generation-spanning tale of milestones and sleeplessness.
A young boy grapples with his new big-boy bed in this fun and sleep-deprived children’s book.
Stewie Boom is like most kids his age: he likes soccer and space travel, and he idolizes his big brother, Zoom. When Stewie’s parents tell him that he’s getting a big-boy bed just like Zoom’s, Stewie is excited, but when the first night of sleep comes, he is nervous. After he’s tucked in, a worried Stewie tells his parents that he’s ready to get his crib back. He just can’t get comfortable in the new bed! Everyone reassures him, but he’s highly skeptical and tests all the beds of all of his family members. After a night spent with Zoom, Stewie realizes that he is a big boy, having slept a full night in a real bed. Now, it’s time for the sleep-deprived family to celebrate. Bronstein (Stewie Boomstein Starts School, 2014) certainly knows what it’s like to be awake for hours at the beck and call of a young child, but she also perfectly articulates what it’s like to be a kid in a new situation. Stewie’s tale is relatable not just for the parents of young kids hitting the new-bed milestone, but also for the little ones who are fighting sleep. There’s a large dose of humor here, making this book a must-have for parents and children at this tricky stage. Young’s illustrations are darling, capturing the exhausted faces of Stewie’s parents as well as his skepticism over his new bed. Included are a series of parenting tips by a certified pediatrician. They’re a lovely companion to the story. The second book in Stewie’s series, this work shows that sometimes missing a little sleep can add up to a whole lot of fun.
A relatable and generation-spanning tale of milestones and sleeplessness.Pub Date: July 30, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9904652-9-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Wonderful, indeed
A love song to baby with delightful illustrations to boot.
Sweet but not saccharine and singsong but not forced, Martin’s text is one that will invite rereadings as it affirms parental wishes for children while admirably keeping child readers at its heart. The lines that read “This is the first time / There’s ever been you, / So I wonder what wonderful things / You will do” capture the essence of the picture book and are accompanied by a diverse group of babies and toddlers clad in downright adorable outfits. Other spreads include older kids, too, and pictures expand on the open text to visually interpret the myriad possibilities and hopes for the depicted children. For example, a spread reading “Will you learn how to fly / To find the best view?” shows a bespectacled, school-aged girl on a swing soaring through an empty white background. This is just one spread in which Martin’s fearless embrace of the white of the page serves her well. Throughout the book, she maintains a keen balance of layout choices, and surprising details—zebras on the wallpaper behind a father cradling his child, a rock-’n’-roll band of mice paralleling the children’s own band called “The Missing Teeth”—add visual interest and gentle humor. An ideal title for the baby-shower gift bag and for any nursery bookshelf or lap-sit storytime.
Wonderful, indeed . (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37671-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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