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SOME DO, SOME DON'T

Name: SOME DO, SOME DON'T
Author: Dipacho
ISBN: 978-1-66265-095-6

by Dipacho ; illustrated by Dipacho ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 2023

For everyone—some know it, some don’t…yet.

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We’re all different—and that’s OK.

Dipacho offers a simple, straightforward, and soothing text about individuality. Full-page spreads depict jabirus—described in brief backmatter as the “great stork of the New World”—in a variety of situations. The words “Some of us have no family” accompany an image of a solitary bird, while the next spread depicts two of them joyfully flapping (“Others do”). Some go off to explore the world; some stay behind. Some enjoy company, while others prefer solitude. Some leave, “never to return,” but “others stay together.” Some jabirus prefer to “stick to our own kind,” but others congregate with other types of birds. Sometimes new family members arrive, and sometimes we “fly off and follow our own path.” Dipacho has reassuringly encapsulated just about every experience a young reader may have. Soft pastel textures in a mostly primary palette provide a charming backdrop to project onto, with expressive jabirus of various sizes and dispositions. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

For everyone—some know it, some don’t…yet. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-66265-095-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: minedition

Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ANTONIA
by Dipacho ; illustrated by Dipacho

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AN ABC OF EQUALITY

by Chana Ginelle Ewing ; illustrated by Paulina Morgan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children.

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Social-equity themes are presented to children in ABC format.

Terms related to intersectional inequality, such as “class,” “gender,” “privilege,” “oppression,” “race,” and “sex,” as well as other topics important to social justice such as “feminism,” “human being,” “immigration,” “justice,” “kindness,” “multicultural,” “transgender,” “understanding,” and “value” are named and explained. There are 26 in all, one for each letter of the alphabet. Colorful two-page spreads with kid-friendly illustrations present each term. First the term is described: “Belief is when you are confident something exists even if you can’t see it. Lots of different beliefs fill the world, and no single belief is right for everyone.” On the facing page it concludes: “B is for BELIEF / Everyone has different beliefs.” It is hard to see who the intended audience for this little board book is. Babies and toddlers are busy learning the names for their body parts, familiar objects around them, and perhaps some basic feelings like happy, hungry, and sad; slightly older preschoolers will probably be bewildered by explanations such as: “A value is an expression of how to live a belief. A value can serve as a guide for how you behave around other human beings. / V is for VALUE / Live your beliefs out loud.”

Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children. (Board book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-78603-742-8

Page Count: 52

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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BIRD BUILDS A NEST

A FIRST SCIENCE STORYBOOK

by Martin Jenkins ; illustrated by Richard Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2018

A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to...

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A generic mother bird learns to conquer the forces of physics while going about her daily chores.

In an unusual take on the well-worn topic of birds and their nests, the common activities associated with feeding and nest-building are used to teach the science of force and gravity, albeit at a very elementary level. The preface encourages caregivers to discuss the law of motion, stating that “More force is needed to change the motion of heavier objects than to change the motion of lighter objects.” (Caregivers may find themselves searching for other words to make this clear to youngsters.) Furthermore, “Earth’s gravity pulls objects towards the Earth, which makes things fall down when they are dropped.” Aspects of these principles are illustrated with somewhat dated-looking mixed-media pictures in a muddy color palette as the bird pulls worms out of the ground; struggles to find twigs light enough to carry; creates a nest with twigs, feathers, and grass; and finally lays five speckled eggs, out of which hatch baby birds. Five questions again address the physics illustrated in the story, asking about pushing, pulling, moving, and dropping.

A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to do some heavy lifting of their own. (index) (Informational picture book. 4-6)