Plot holes may mar the story a bit, but there’s plenty to dig anyway.
Morris strikes out on his own in this story about an anthropomorphic, iconoclast mole.
Smaller than the rest and clad in a dapper suit rather than miners’ gear, Morris Mole’s suggestion falls on deaf ears when he voices an idea to improve his fellow moles’ lot. While his brothers’ focus is on digging ever deeper underground to find scarce food, Morris Mole decides to tunnel up through the earth. “I may be small, but I can do big things,” he tells himself as he digs deep within himself to find courage. When he emerges aboveground he finds a wonderland of not only food, but bird song, flowers, and friendly passers-by. An encounter with a fox almost dooms Morris, but then he (rather implausibly) saves the fox from a wolf, who, for some odd reason, just lets him be. This plot twist seems rather forced and lacking in logic, but the grateful fox then rallies others to collect a veritable feast for Morris Mole to bring back to his underground family. Yaccarino’s digital illustrations are bold and graphic, and they do an excellent job of contrasting the under- and aboveground worlds that Morris Mole traverses in his adventure of individuality and community.
Plot holes may mar the story a bit, but there’s plenty to dig anyway. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-241107-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality.
A young White boy shares his secret talent with his classmates for the first time.
An unnamed, unidentified narrator, clearly one of the titular protagonist’s schoolmates, explains that every week at Friday Assembly, one student gets to perform for the whole school, an activity called “Sharing Gifts.” Once, Tina played her tuba; another time, Jessie did some magic; Carol delivered a stand-up routine. Now it’s John’s turn, and boy does he look nervous. In short, declarative sentences the text describes John’s preparations for his act. Once on stage, he hesitates as some kids laugh at the musical track accompanying his performance—“strings, violins and things, and then maybe flutes”—then it’s showtime. A succession of wordless, double-page spreads uses continuous narration to showcase the various poses and steps of John’s glorious ballet recital. His facial expression and body language morph as fear gives way to a joyful sense of accomplishment. Young readers will love John’s classmates’ reactions at the ending. Berube’s simple ink-and-paint illustrations have minimal background details, allowing readers to focus squarely on John and his emotions. It is truly wonderful to see a boy character in a children’s book so enthusiastic about, and accomplished at, ballet. Any child, though, who has a talent to share or struggles with performance anxiety will find a role model in John. The children are nicely diverse racially. Their teachers present White.
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0395-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nonjudgmental approach for gently teaching how to deal with life’s setbacks.
Laila is a planner—she has charts for everything.
As the story opens, she’s planning for her birthday party. What will she wear? What games will everyone play? When should the cake be served? Wait....Lightning! Clouds! Her birthday party is ruined!!! “A sparkly SUNSHINE celebration” was guaranteed for all! Before a meltdown takes control of everything, Mommy has some great ideas. Change doesn’t have to mean disaster. The indoor unicorn obstacle-course race is a success—until whoops—there goes the cake! A nervous tummy doesn’t have to mean the party’s over. Laila’s mom has her child take a few minutes of regroup-time with service dog Charlie. And guess what? The birthday kid realizes that unexpected surprises aren’t all bad. Unicorn ice cream cones, a jar full of colorful paper wishes, and a cutout smiling sun save the day. Cotterill’s Little Senses series, addressing anxiety and challenges faced by children with sensory processing disorder and/or on the autistic spectrum, is so upbeat and helpful that parents everywhere can employ these coping mechanisms with any child. The deceptively simple illustrations are dynamic and engaging all on their own—from the little details of Laila soothing herself by foot-petting Charlie to Laila’s look of triumph when she overcomes her disappointment. Laila and Mommy present Black, as does one of her two guests; the other presents White. On-point closing suggestions provided by a children’s mental health expert round out the positive experience. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
A nonjudgmental approach for gently teaching how to deal with life’s setbacks. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-55347-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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