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A GIFT OF LOVE

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

A gently told story of loss and love from a child’s perspective, written by a former grade school teacher who served in Iraq, dedicated to the memory of members of the New York City Fire Department “and all who fell” on September 11, 2001.

Written in simple, at times uneven, rhyme, this awkwardly illustrated but heartfelt story begins as an affectionate dad helps his adoring daughter get ready for her first day as a second grader. After a pancake breakfast, she tries on her dad’s FDNY helmet, proud that “My father is a fireman, and he is strong and brave. / There is not anybody that my daddy cannot save.” As she snuggles into his “barreled chest” while he has his morning coffee, we learn that mom is due for a meeting at the World Trade Center: “A house of steel and stone, / which has a matching tower and they stand boldly alone.” The little girl packs her lunch, her dad gives her his badge for show-and-tell and it’s off to school for a seemingly normal day. Then comes an announcement that buses have arrived to take the children home early. Dr. Claus handles what comes next with sensitivity, aware that young children would be confused and anxious, unable to interpret what was happening around them. When the little girl arrives home, she sees a crowd of adults gathered around the TV in the living room and wonders if it’s “a birthday surprise for Daddy.” Then her tearful mother takes her to a quiet room, holds her close and explains that “Four hijacked planes; it sounds insane; exploded on impact / Hurting innocent people in a terrorist attack.” She tells her daughter that Daddy was a hero who saved many lives that day, including Mom’s. When it turns out that he has left his daughter the present that he had promised her just that morning, that small surprise symbolizes a comforting “gift of love” in a time of profound loss. Some verses should be reworked to scan evenly and the ragged cartoon illustrations are an unfortunate choice, but this children’s book by Dr. Claus, with its core message about the healing power of love, treats a difficult subject with great sensitivity, warmth and reassurance.

 

Pub Date: June 12, 2011

ISBN: 978-1614970019

Page Count: 30

Publisher: Dr. Claus Publishing

Review Posted Online: Dec. 29, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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BEYOND MULBERRY GLEN

An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.

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In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.

Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.

An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025

ISBN: 9781956393095

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Waxwing Books

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025

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