Victorious—it may even usurp King & King (2001) as the premier queer-friendly fairy tale for this age set.
A prince of marriageable age looks far and wide for a partner who sings the same tune.
“Handsome and sincere,” the prince accompanies his parents to meet ladies from nearby kingdoms. While the royals are away, a fire-breathing dragon ravages their home kingdom. The prince races home to protect his realm only to find a knight in shining armor battling alongside him. The two work together to defeat the dragon, but in the process, the prince loses his grip and nearly falls to his doom. The visored knight sweeps in to catch the prince, takes off his helmet to reveal his identity, and the two instantly realize their connection. Villagers and royals alike cheer for the two men’s relationship and, soon, wedding. Lewis’ lush colors and dramatic sequencing clearly show her background in animation and lend a timeless, Disney-like quality to the story. The art notably does not shy away from depicting the intimacy between the men, keeping it on par with images of heterosexual relationships that already dominate children’s media. Though the royal family is white, the happy villagers and the prince’s new betrothed add some necessary racial diversity to the mix.
Victorious—it may even usurp King & King (2001) as the premier queer-friendly fairy tale for this age set. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0552-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Mia recognizes that she’s been given a special treat that doesn’t come to all children whose loved ones live far away, which...
Mia makes a Christmas card to send to her faraway grandfather, although she’s afraid it won’t reach him in time.
At the Christmas market with her mother, she finds a mysterious mailbox emblazoned with the words “The Reindeer Express” and “Turn knob three times to send parcel.” Mia steps through a door to a marvelously decorated room, where a cheerful woman directs her through another door. Mia finds herself in a magical, snowy forest. A reindeer whisks her away over a moonlit harbor, past a wondrous, sparkly city, and finally to Grandpa’s home in the mountains. Rare for picture books, Grandpa is on the youngish side, with the same red hair and white skin as Mia and her mother; Mia’s glasses are another welcome feature. Stepping back through the mailbox, she finds herself back in the market and that no time has elapsed. She and her mother return home to celebrate a joyful Christmas. Die-cut pages and lift-the-flap doors—some pleasingly challenging to find—creatively provide a sense of magic throughout. The book’s delightful, quiltlike design and geometric shapes allow readers’ eyes to move easily across the pages to spot hidden doors and windows. Fir trees and onion-domed buildings decorate the northern scenes, and endpapers include maps with an arctic feel.
Mia recognizes that she’s been given a special treat that doesn’t come to all children whose loved ones live far away, which makes this title especially resonant for readers in her circumstance. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-7166-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
Older siblings will find much to identify with.
It’s a dinosaur! It’s a toddler! It’s Rodzilla!
A black-haired, olive-skinned newscaster narrates the story about the “soft, squishy….huge….pudgy.…RODZILLA” that goes on a rampage through the city. Rodzilla is a wide-eyed anthropomorphic dinosaur wearing a shirt emblazoned “Totally Rod.” He wreaks havoc, stomping, drooling, and sending “slime missiles” (globs of green snot) onto people and cars careening about. Then comes a “hurled…attack” after a stomachache: vomit. But Rodzilla carries on, picking up cars and buses as though they were toys, which (as many readers will have guessed by now) they are. Ultimately Rodzilla is revealed as a metaphor for the chaos toddlers can bring to a household, and the “two brave citizens” who step in to save the day are Mommy and Daddy, the latter of whom looks just like the newscaster. On the spread when they’re named, Rodzilla is revealed to be mixed-race baby Rodney, and his brown-skinned mother hoists him joyfully into the air in a room littered with toys and green splatters that evidence the destruction he’s wrought. Santat’s watercolor, pencil, and digital art is cinematic in its play with perspective, and it makes the most of the scenes’ chaos. A closing illustration brings readers to eye level with Rodney as he peers at the newscaster, now clearly a toy, and reaches for it….
Older siblings will find much to identify with. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 9, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5779-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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