A lively read-aloud promoting the virtues of sportsmanship.
A competitive youth learns the value of kindness over victory.
Evie can run, jump, and hop the fastest, highest, and farthest. She also has the “trophies and ribbons” to prove it. Her love of accolades is what makes the upcoming Field Day so exciting. “Zing! Zing! Zip!” When it’s Evie’s turn at beanbag toss, she misses all three times. Everyone shouts, “Hooray!” for the winner. “Except Evie.” Next it’s “musical hoops,” and even though Evie can hop the farthest, Marty wins. Evie and her friends are largely portrayed in black and white with pops of bright colors in clothing, props, and accessories. The succinct text narrates as Evie attempts more carnival games: balancing a glass of water on her head, running with an egg on a spoon, or a balloon-stomping competition. Despite her best efforts she is still empty handed. Finally her “favorite event—the sack race” provides her a chance. “Evie jumped high, Evie jumped fast. Evie jumped far. She was winning!” Just then a baby bird in the middle of the route forces her to stop and quickly make a choice whether a ribbon or an act of compassion is more important. Teba infuses each scene with charm and energy. Within the black-and-white color schema, Evie has dark hair and medium-toned skin, and her friends are diverse. Resources on fostering sportsmanship follow the story.
A lively read-aloud promoting the virtues of sportsmanship. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7330359-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings.
The diverse group of kids from All Are Welcome (2018) this time gathers in a vacant lot with tools in hand to clear the debris and make something new. But therein lies the rub: What should the something new be? While the exact nature of the disagreement is unfortunately not made clear to readers, the big feelings that the children exhibit are very clear (and for readers who need practice reading facial clues, there’s a labeled chart of 15 in the frontmatter). This book’s refrain is “How can I help? / What can we do?” And the answers, spread over several pages and not spelled out in so many words but rather shown in the illustrations, are: talk it through, compromise, and see things from another perspective. As a guide for dealing with feelings and problem-solving, the book is a bit slim and lacks a solid story to hook readers. But, as with its predecessor, its strength is again the diversity on display in its pages. There’s a rainbow of skin tones and hair colors as well as abundant variation in hair texture, several children exhibit visible disabilities, including one child who uses a wheelchair, and there are markers of religious and cultural diversity. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.6% of actual size.)
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-57974-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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