This poignant and entertaining tale about a playful toddler aimed at young lap readers works on a much deeper level for...
In her latest picture book, Dehghanpisheh (#BabyLove: My Social Life, 2016, etc.) shows the life of a curious child through the frame of the cellphone used to take his photo—until he gets his hands on the device.
The hero of the #BabyLove tales, now a tanned toddler, obviously has a mother who loves him. While he’s creating his art, she’s taking a photo of his paint-splattered smock. (The dog, with paint-dripped ears, looks less impressed.) After the art lesson, there’s reading and toy time, followed by a drumming session. Each shot features a view of the boy framed by his mother’s phone. Mother and son take a smiling selfie together, posting it to friends with the hashtag #mommyandme. With so much activity around the phone, it’s no surprise that the boy wants to experiment with it himself, so when Mommy leaves it on the counter, even though he knows better, he picks it up. First, he pretends he’s making a real phone call; then, he starts taking selfies. His huge smile shows how much fun he’s having: “I hold a button, and then say ‘Cheese.’ / I click, click, click, click with such ease.” When he hears Mommy coming, though, he drops the phone and makes a run for it. But rather than becoming angry, Mommy takes time to look at the photos with him, showing him the parts of his face in each shot as well as family pictures. And as Mommy looks at these photos, she realizes just how precious time with her wee one is. When they return to playing together, Mommy puts the phone down so she can fully engage with her son. With simple rhyming phrases that scan well and the author’s enticing illustrations, the volume should surely appeal to young readers, who have almost certainly been told not to play with a parent’s phone. But the book works on another level as well: the boy teaches his mother a valuable lesson about mindfulness. After perusing the old photos, she tells her son: “These moments with you, / I love and treasure.” This stirring story reminds busy parents that even though those photos they take show how much they love their children, there’s joy and wonder in leaving the technology behind.
This poignant and entertaining tale about a playful toddler aimed at young lap readers works on a much deeper level for parents.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9978985-1-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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
BOOK REVIEW
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