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MINH AND THE MAGIC GRAINS OF RICE

Name: MINH AND THE MAGIC GRAINS OF RICE
Author: Đỗ Nguyệt Hà
ISBN: 9781797213330

by Đỗ Nguyệt Hà ; illustrated by Lê Phương Quỳnh ; translated by Bac H. Tran ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2025

Solid info and cute characters help this primer on rice go down easy.

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In this Vietnamese import, an ungrateful boy is transported to a magical land where human-size grains of rice teach him the importance of this staple food.

One evening, Minh refuses to eat his rice and even accidentally knocks a bowl of the food to the ground during a tantrum. Afterward, he sees three grains of rice stand up and dust themselves off. “We don’t deserve this. Let’s go!” one of them says. Minh follows them into the bushes. On the other side, he discovers a wondrous landscape: a sunny day with clouds and mountains, fantastical trees, and human-size rice grains fully clothed in traditional Vietnamese outfits. One of the grains recounts the legend of the Creator and the Pearly Grain, then tells Minh that to return home, he must find the Pearly Grain by sowing a rice crop. Minh spends time helping both rice and human characters sow, tend, harvest, and dry the crop, learning much in the process. Finally, the Pearly Grain appears from a sack of glowing rice grains, and Minh crawls back through the hedges to arrive home, hungry and grateful for his bowl of rice. Some of the dialogue is awkward, and the lesson feels a bit heavy-handed at times. Still, the information is sound, and the digitally rendered cartoon art is engaging, relying on colorful yet muted tones and incorporating fantastical landscapes and kawaii characters.

Solid info and cute characters help this primer on rice go down easy. (information about rice and Vietnamese culture) (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: May 20, 2025

ISBN: 9781797213330

Page Count: 52

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

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.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.

Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)