A jubilant, visually dramatic allegory.
Unhappy Felix finds himself always carrying a heavy black suitcase.
He walks far, all the time toting this inhibiting weight. He doesn’t know exactly what is inside, but “something dark” or “something bothersome” creeps within after unhappy moments in Felix’s life. When Felix pauses his trek to take a nap, a young boy comes along and opens the suitcase. The sky turns gray and Felix sheds “tears that [run] down his cheeks like the rain.” But once the storm passes, Felix’s burden is no more. He revels in the world around him, giving out hugs to those he meets (with permission), and returns home “empty handed but with a heart full of happiness.” The scenery mirrors Felix’s emotional outlook: Black and gray surround him in the beginning and are released from the suitcase, but colors burst to life everywhere after the storm dissipates. Jogan’s illustrations are an organic mixture of swirls and many painterly textures. Each page turn yields a double-page spread, so the images are sweeping; this is appropriate, as the illustrations effectively carry the emotional resonance of the story while the succinct, translated Slovenian text supports them. This symbolic tale leaves a few gaps (is the child who opens the suitcase a younger Felix, hinted by their similar clothing?) but effectively communicates a moral of emotional honesty and freedom.
A jubilant, visually dramatic allegory. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-910328-58-3
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Tiny Owl
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This appealing work is an excellent addition to any emotional-intelligence shelf.
Author/illustrator Doerrfeld gives children a model for how to process difficult events and provide meaningful support to friends who need it.
Taylor is excited to build a block tower, but then a flock of birds swoops in and knocks it all down. Different animal friends try to help, in ways that cleverly mirror their nature: the bear shouts, the ostrich buries its head in the wreckage, and the snake hisses about revenge. But what Taylor (who is never referred to with gendered pronouns) really needs is to explore a whole range of emotional responses to loss, without being asked to perform any specific feeling. A cuddly rabbit shows up and just listens, giving Taylor—an expressive child with light skin, curly dark hair, and blue-and-white–striped one-piece pajamas—space for the whole process, going from grief to anger to resolution. The illustrations are spare yet textured, and the pace is excellent for reading aloud, with lots of opportunities for funny voices and discussion starters about supporting anyone through a hard time. Despite the obvious takeaway, this story doesn’t feel overly moralizing or didactic. Keeping the focus on the small tragedy of tumbled blocks makes it young-child–appropriate, with opportunities for deeper connections with an older audience.
This appealing work is an excellent addition to any emotional-intelligence shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2935-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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