While geographically specific, this elegant narrative offers a fruitful springboard to conversations about conflict anywhere.
A fig tree in Cyprus that has shaded inhabitants from across the island feels sadness when war leads to a seemingly irreparable divide.
An omniscient narrator describes the tree “remembering” the residents, varied in skin tone, who played and picnicked nearby, enjoying the abundant fruit. The tree notes that language connected the Greek and Turkish residents; all understood the words “majilla” (large fig) and “mashallah” (an Arabic expression of appreciation). Without explanation, the narrator reports that negative words sprang up: “enemy,” “traitor.” Curious children may wonder why. The vibrant colors, stylized shapes, and swirling textures of Giles’ handmade and digital collages, which initially depicted verdant scenes dotted with cheerful pink elements, now portray war. Alliteration and metaphor heighten the drama: “Stomping boots, shuddering tanks, and stuttering gunfire shook the tree—and the island—down to the roots.” Ultimately, a north-south boundary divides the land in two; barbed wire fences prevent people from crossing. As years pass, the centrally situated tree waits, hoping that a child from each side will be drawn to again share its succulent gifts, an act that could remind residents of their commonalities. Manoli lives in Cyprus; her author’s note details the “centuries-old” fighting that led to this now-50-year division.
While geographically specific, this elegant narrative offers a fruitful springboard to conversations about conflict anywhere. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781250763136
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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