Distraction is a drag when you have to concentrate, and having Dad in the stands at the basketball game yelling at you to do this and do that can be a major sensory overload. In this seventh title in the Gus and Grandpa series, Gus is introduced to the game of basketball. It’s magic out there on the practice court: Gus likes the pace, the coach, and the sweet sound of swish as the ball kisses the net. He continues to play when visiting his Grandpa, who has a beat-up old rim out on the garage. Skipper the dog barks like crazy when Gus plays, to the point where Grandpa turns off his hearing aid “so I can hear myself think.” Games, though, are a different matter. Gus can’t focus because of the crowd noise and in particular his father calling to him to “get free” and “rebound.” Gus is so flustered he never even gets a shot off. The season looks like a disaster until Grandpa shows up at the last game to show Gus a trick on how to turn off the noise—à la Skipper—and erase the competing stimuli. A cagey story, the kind born from the likes of a special relationship shared by Gus and Grandpa, and peacefully, protectively illustrated by Stock’s gentle watercolors. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2001
ISBN: 0-374-32818-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A second scintillating celebration of personal style and dad-daughter DIY.
Reality puts only a temporary damper on big, glittery plans for a sleepover castle.
New school friend Tam, who shared bánh mi at lunch in The One and Only Sparkella (2021), is arriving in two hours, and before that Sparkella needs to make a castle “fit for two royal highnesses.” Unfortunately, even with Dad’s help, the flimsy cardboard construction collapses as soon as Sparkella climbs inside to test it. What to do? After giving the pouting princess some personal time in the garage, Dad points the way: “I think you have to take what you have and make it SPARKLE like only you can.” And, indeed, by the time brown-skinned “Tam, Queen of Kittens” is dropped off by her grandma, a pair of folding tables have been transformed with paint, wrapping paper, and colorful fabrics into the sparkliest castle ever! Laying on saturated colors and sprays of tiny stars with a lavish hand, Barnes depicts the two young “royals” in flamboyantly decorated settings—even Dad’s motorcycle is a dazzling confection awash in bows, and Dad himself, light-skinned like Sparkella, isn’t the least decorative element considering his fondness for sporting a purple boa and outrageous eyewear when occasion demands. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A second scintillating celebration of personal style and dad-daughter DIY. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-75076-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though directed at sons, the guidance presented is sensible for kids of all genders navigating life.
A companion offering to actor Duff’s My Little Brave Girl (2021) with sound, sensitive advice from parents to children on their journey through childhood.
A gracefully drawn watercolor palette limns a diverse group of boys portrayed not just as brave and strong, but as kind, caring, and observant. They can climb trees and be physically active while also being encouraged to “honor the power of all [their] emotions.” A boy is sitting unhappily with his dad on their front stoop waving goodbye to his mom, who’s leaving for a trip; when you’re sad, it’s certainly OK to cry. Understanding right from wrong is important, demonstrated by two boys shown intervening when a third is being nasty to a fourth younger child. Picking apples and planting and harvesting a vegetable garden illustrate ways to take care of their bodies. A boy making signs for his class president candidacy depicts confidence and the ability to use his voice. A final scene stresses the importance of listening, questioning, and being willing to learn, whether by choosing books to read, walking to school with other children, or conversing with a grandparent. The visual examples given to enhance each portion of the narrative should elicit discussion through the inferences implied.
Though directed at sons, the guidance presented is sensible for kids of all genders navigating life. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780593300756
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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