by Daniel Miyares ; illustrated by Daniel Miyares ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2016
Beautifully executed art, expressive bugs, and spare but pointed—arguably Marxist—text create a tale for all ages.
The smallest bug’s contribution to the demands of the grasshopper king is at first spurned, but the little bug eventually prevails in more ways than one.
The initial double-page spread consists of a bright yellow wash of sky, translucent layers of green plants, and a foreground of brown dirt dappled with sunlight. On the left, atop a single small stone, sits a green-and-orange grasshopper, his head topped by a crown. In bold, capital letters, he commands a cluster of bug subjects: “BRING ME A ROCK!” The grasshopper soon makes it clear that he “will have a majestic pedestal fit for a king.” The king shows his sense of entitlement as each peon bug struggles to add a rock to the pile being created for his majesty. Each insect is rendered with an eye for varietal accuracy, yet each also sports a delightful spark of anthropomorphism. Humor and artistry combine, especially in an aerial view of the king atop his new throne, sipping a paper-umbrella–adorned drink—before his tower begins to topple. After the littlest bug manages to save the king with a pebble, the king asks how he can repay this now-invaluable subject. The little bug’s cleverness literally elevates the status of all the workers to that of the king.
Beautifully executed art, expressive bugs, and spare but pointed—arguably Marxist—text create a tale for all ages. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4602-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
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by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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