by Colleen D.C. Marquez ; illustrated by Masako Dunn ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 14, 2014
More than most adoption books, this one is love-it or hate-it, as its metaphor is likely to sail over most children’s heads...
A God-centric adoption story using a grafted apple tree as a metaphor.
Four opening spreads set the scene with softly colored watercolor artwork: an apple orchard, an idyllic place where the often anthropomorphized trees bear fruit of all colors and tastes and where all the trees are happy under the loving care of the farmer who planted them. But the fifth introduces Little Tree, who yearns to bear her own fruit but cannot. When she asks the farmer what her purpose could be, he reassures her that, having planted her, he has not forgotten her. One fall, the farmer grafts a limb from Green Pippin, whose branches are too weak, onto Little Tree, who wonders if she could love these apples but trusts the farmer. Come spring, all her doubts are banished, and she is grafted several more times, eventually sporting apples of many different colors, all of them loved. The final spread is a close-up of Little Tree and her apples, the only text Isaiah 49:16—“Behold, I have carved you on the palms of my hands.” A final author’s note describes Marquez’s inspiration for the story, which also led her to adopt children of her own. Nowhere else, though, does the book break from the apple-tree metaphor to talk about adopting children.
More than most adoption books, this one is love-it or hate-it, as its metaphor is likely to sail over most children’s heads and shows adoption as only a Plan B. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9857932-4-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cupola Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
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by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2020
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag.
Epistolary dispatches from the eternal canine/feline feud.
Simon the cat is angry. He had done a good job taking care of his boy, Andy, but now that Andy’s parents are divorced, a dog named Baxter has moved into Andy’s dad’s house. Simon believes that there isn’t enough room in Andy’s life for two furry friends, so he uses the power of the pen to get Baxter to move out. Inventively for the early-chapter-book format, the story is told in letters written back and forth; Simon’s are impeccably spelled on personalized stationery while Baxter’s spelling slowly improves through the letters he scrawls on scraps of paper. A few other animals make appearances—a puffy-lipped goldfish who for some reason punctuates her letter with “Blub…blub…” seems to be the only female character (cued through stereotypical use of eyelashes and red lipstick), and a mustachioed snail ferries the mail to and fro. White-appearing Andy is seen playing with both animals as a visual background to the text, as is his friend Noah (a dark-skinned child who perhaps should not be nicknamed “N Man”). Cat lovers will appreciate Simon’s prickliness while dog aficionados will likely enjoy Baxter’s obtuse enthusiasm, and all readers will learn about the time and patience it takes to overcome conflict and jealousy with someone you dislike.
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4492-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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by Alexs D. Pate ; illustrated by Soud ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2018
Heartfelt content for children who need to feel seen.
Words addressed to children aimed at truth-telling, encouraging, and inspiring are accompanied by pictures of children of color going about their days.
“This story is about you,” the narrator opens, as a black boy looks up toward readers, a listening expression on his face. A multiracial group of children romp in a playground to encouraging words: “you are… / a dancer / a singer / in charge of the game.” Then comes a warning about the “whispers” out in the world that “tell you who you are / But only you and love decide.” There is advice about what to do when you “think there is nowhere safe”: “Watch a bird soar / and think, / Me too.” It asks readers to wonder: “If there was a sign on your chest / what would it say?” Children argue and show frustration and anger for reasons unclear to readers, then they hold up signs about themselves, such as “I am powerful” and “I am talented.” A girl looks hurt, and a boy looks “tough” until someone finds them “sitting there wondering / when the sky will blue.” While the words are general, the pictures specify a teacher, who is brown-skinned with straight black hair, as one who “can see you.” While young readers may find the wording unusual, even obscure in places, the nurturing message will not be lost.
Heartfelt content for children who need to feel seen. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68446-021-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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