A relatable, constructive story emphasizing elements of positivity and mindfulness.
Gregory’s picture book demonstrates ways kids can counteract negative thoughts.
An unnamed girl’s mom asks her to complete tasks, like making a card for her grandfather and baking muffins for school. Although the illustrations show her reticently partaking in the activities, the girl responds to her mother, “Okay, but I’m NOT very good at it.” When Mom (who is absent from the illustrations) asks why she feels that way, the child says, “Because that’s what my brain said.” Her mother implores her to listen to her heart instead, explaining “It speaks very softly, like dandelion seeds landing on grass….Your BRAIN might try to BUTT in, but don’t pay any attention to it.” The girl attempts to complete more tasks, but she tries to alter her immediate negative thoughts. For example, as she builds a model airplane, she “talks back” to her brain (“You don’t get to be the boss all the time.”) The child explains that now she listens to her heart: “It doesn’t matter if I’m NOT very good at something…the most important thing is to just try.” Miller’s colorful pencil illustrations mostly echo the text, offering interesting background scenes such as grassy fields and dandelions. Some offer subtext. For example, the child is shown smiling alongside her completed projects, as when she gives a thumbs-up while holding a tray of baked muffins. The child has dark hair and eyes and presents White. Gregory offers actionable, kid-friendly tools to help readers enhance their self-esteem in a plausible and positive way.
A relatable, constructive story emphasizing elements of positivity and mindfulness.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-7645-4
Page Count: 30
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An imaginative and engaging look into artistic possibility.
Opposing art implements must learn to coexist in the same space and create together as one adds while the other subtracts.
Change is hard, especially for Pencil. The solitary graphite artist who “loved to draw” finds his worldview challenged when Eraser comes into the picture and uses negative space to complicate the drawings. Believing art can happen only when you add to the image, Pencil has a hard time playing well with others and accepting the notion that, sometimes, less is more. In contrast, ever gleeful Eraser sees potential and beauty in removing. When Pencil challenges Eraser to create art from his chaotic lines, Eraser deftly gives Pencil something he cannot resist: a maze. Eraser’s creativity opens Pencil to the possibility that, perhaps, there might be more to art than making lines on a paper. The two become fast friends as the potential for their creativity doubles when combining forces. Debut illustrator Blanco creates endearing endpapers that serve as mirrors to the story. Although this is a creative concept, it comes after Max Amato’s Perfect (2019), which covers similar conceptual territory. However, through Kilpatrick and Ramos’ text, Pencil and Eraser entangle in a deeper dialogue than Amato’s implements do, and further potential for disaster—or so Pencil would think—is humorously foreshadowed by more art utensils coming into the picture.
An imaginative and engaging look into artistic possibility. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30939-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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