A vividly illustrated, if flawed, picture book.
Author-illustrator Helms (Honk Whoop, 2017) offers a silly story of a child’s 100th day of school.
The protagonist (“Kid,” according to the label on his backpack) has an assignment—bring 100 things to school on the 100th day of classes. In a rhyming list, Kid begins to think about what he could bring in. Some are realistic, such as “pins or snaps or staples or stickers. / Cotton swabs, pebbles, bottle caps, nail clippers.” Other ideas vary in size and shape to include paper snowflakes, an aquarium full of fish, and a genie lamp, followed by more abstract notions: different cloud shapes, the ‘total sum of minutes that make 40 plus one hour,’ and the (unnamed) things that make Kid special. There are some questionable inclusions, including rabbits’ feet (shown on a key ring, but the concept may bother some readers), dead ants, and “arrows in an Indian quiver.” In the end, Kid attaches all of these ideas on his “thinking cap” and brings it to school, and the busy illustrations contain plenty of cool details. However, the image of Kid himself is remarkably flat, and the rhyme and rhythm scan unevenly, with odd line-breaks. Still, schools in need of more titles about the 100th day may find value here.
A vividly illustrated, if flawed, picture book.Pub Date: April 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9963397-5-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Set Free Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 9, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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