A NEW HARVEST

Name: A NEW HARVEST
Author: Cristina Expósito Escalona
ISBN: 978-84-18302-32-9

by Cristina Expósito Escalona ; illustrated by Miguel Ángel Díez ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2021

A feel-good, pay-it-forward story about sowing seeds and harvesting harmony.

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Building community supplants the despair Rodrigo feels after a tornado destroys the ranch and home he inherited from his family.

The disaster leaves him devastated, with only a “little savings” and memories of familial love to sustain him. The soil is as cracked and “dry as his soul.” One morning, he awakens in a sunbeam, remembering his father’s encouragement: “You’ve got to keep going, it’s all we can do!” Inspired, Rodrigo digs, uncovering broken tools and signs of soil life. He buys seeds and new tools. With care, plants grow, reinvigorating Rodrigo with hope. Gradually, visitors drop by, and a sharing economy begins: organic produce in exchange for “a few coins, clothes, or other things to help him out.” As the land’s fertility increases, Rodrigo needs helpers and so begins providing opportunities for others. Poignantly, his generosity begets returns as the farm becomes a community: “a place where people in need came for help: a place where they could heal the wounds that nobody could see.” The farm supplies stores, restaurants, and its own farm stand; proceeds enable Rodrigo and friends to build a house for diverse workers and volunteers: “their own home.” Agreeable illustrations depict Rodrigo as a thin young man with light-brown skin, large ears, short, black hair, and triangular eyebrows. Díez uses blues and greens for crops, sky, and clothing, visually reinforcing themes of community and sustainability. This import from Spain publishes simultaneously in the U.S. with its original, Spanish-language edition.

A feel-good, pay-it-forward story about sowing seeds and harvesting harmony. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2021

ISBN: 978-84-18302-32-9

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Cuento de Luz

Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
FIREFLIES
by Roberto Aliaga ; illustrated by Miguel Ángel Díez ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)