Once the story’s lesson is revealed, there is little reason to read this one again.
Ozzie enters the art contest at school only to be disappointed at the results.
When Ozzie’s teacher, Miss Cattywhompus, announces the upcoming art contest to her class, Ozzie is especially excited. (Though most elementary teachers would not host an art contest, it does serve to get the plot going.) Ozzie loves to draw (and skateboard and fold paper), and he knows he will draw the best goat. On the day of the big announcement, he is sad to see his pictures on the bottom row with the other honorable-mention pictures. His blue mood is reflected in his demeanor. His teacher tries to cheer him up, but nothing works until she points out that his misreading of the instructions is the real reason he didn’t win. The lessons could not be more obvious: Read the directions carefully and enjoy the process, even if you do not win. The cartoon style, in ink and watercolor on broad expanses of white, is the right choice for this light tale. The messy typeface might challenge new readers, though. Youngsters will feel in on the joke when they notice that all the winning pictures are of boats, and all the also-rans are of something else.
Once the story’s lesson is revealed, there is little reason to read this one again. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58536-820-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children.
On hot summer nights, Amani’s parents permit her to go outside and play in the apartment courtyard, where the breeze is cool and her friends are waiting.
The children jump rope to the sounds of music as it floats through a neighbor’s window, gaze at stars in the night sky, and play hide-and-seek in the moonlight. It is in the moonlight that Amani and her friends are themselves found by the moon, and it illumines the many shades of their skin, which vary from light tan to deep brown. In a world where darkness often evokes ideas of evil or fear, this book is a celebration of things that are dark and beautiful—like a child’s dark skin and the night in which she plays. The lines “Show everyone else how to embrace the night like you. Teach them how to be a night-owning girl like you” are as much an appeal for her to love and appreciate her dark skin as they are the exhortation for Amani to enjoy the night. There is a sense of security that flows throughout this book. The courtyard is safe and homelike. The moon, like an additional parent, seems to be watching the children from the sky. The charming full-bleed illustrations, done in washes of mostly deep blues and greens, make this a wonderful bedtime story.
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-55271-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands.
Berkner’s children’s song gets the picture-book treatment with illustrations from Garoche.
What kid hasn’t made a massive pillow fort and imagined all sorts of adventures? Well, Berkner’s premise is that there is a land where everything is made of pillows, and three lucky children get to visit there. (They appear to be siblings, perhaps a blended family: Mom and one girl are black; Dad, one boy, and one girl are white.) The illustrations transition between depictions of obvious imaginative play in a bedroom to a fantasy world and back again at the end, when the parents peek in at the three asleep. Garoche’s art consists of photos of papercut artwork arranged in dioramas with some Photoshop details. Reminiscent of Michael Garland’s work (though more pastel in color) or that of Elly McKay (though less ethereal), the illustrations are a mixed bag, with layers and hard edges juxtaposed against all the pillows. The king and queen of the song are obviously stand-ins for the parents. Children who know the tune may not sit still for a reading, while those who don’t may wonder at the repeated refrain.
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6467-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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