Lightly disguised as one of the old versifier's fantastical journeys, a rueful survey of the pleasures and pitfalls along the road of life—a sort of commencement address for tots and their elders. The clever, tripping rhymes and whimsical creatures and landscapes here will draw the faithful as usual, though the illustrations are subtler than the good doctor has produced at his most ebullient—there are pages where the wide world looks as placid as a counterpane, and some the beasts that lurk in wait look as though they have their own troubles. Most beguiling, however, is the artful phrasing of the gentle message: caught in life's waiting games, we wait for "the mail to come, or the rain to go/or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow. . .or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants/or a wig with curls, or Another Chance." And, while there will be fun and fame, "you'll play lonely games too./Games you can't win/'cause you'll play against you." There is, of course, an upbeat conclusion: "You're off to Great Places!. . ./So. . .get on your way!" Montaigne pointed out that it's the journey that matters, not the arrival; here, Seuss explores the same philosophical message in his own inimitably wise and witty style.
Pub Date: Feb. 10, 1990
ISBN: 0679905278
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1990
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings.
Penfold and Kaufman team up again to show children how to navigate overwhelming feelings.
The diverse group of kids from All Are Welcome (2018) this time gathers in a vacant lot with tools in hand to clear the debris and make something new. But therein lies the rub: What should the something new be? While the exact nature of the disagreement is unfortunately not made clear to readers, the big feelings that the children exhibit are very clear (and for readers who need practice reading facial clues, there’s a labeled chart of 15 in the frontmatter). This book’s refrain is “How can I help? / What can we do?” And the answers, spread over several pages and not spelled out in so many words but rather shown in the illustrations, are: talk it through, compromise, and see things from another perspective. As a guide for dealing with feelings and problem-solving, the book is a bit slim and lacks a solid story to hook readers. But, as with its predecessor, its strength is again the diversity on display in its pages. There’s a rainbow of skin tones and hair colors as well as abundant variation in hair texture, several children exhibit visible disabilities, including one child who uses a wheelchair, and there are markers of religious and cultural diversity. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.6% of actual size.)
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-57974-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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