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THANKFUL

Name: THANKFUL
Author: Eileen Spinelli
ISBN: 978-0-310-00088-4

by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Archie Preston ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2015

Low-key and gentle; a book to be thankful for.

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Spinelli lists many things for which people are thankful.

The pictures tell a pleasing counterpoint to this deceptively simple rhyme. It begins “The waitress is thankful for comfortable shoes. / The local reporter, for interesting news.” The pictures show a little girl playing waitress to her brother, who playacts the reporter. The news gets interesting when the girl trips over the (omnipresent) cat. As the poem continues, the Caucasian children and their parents embody all the different roles and occupations it mentions. The poet is thankful for rhyme and the artist, for light and color, although the girl dancer is not particularly pleased with her brother’s painterly rendition of her visual art. The cozy hotel for the traveler is a tent for the siblings in the backyard, and the grateful chef is their father in the kitchen. Even the pastor (the only character mentioned who is not a family member) is grateful, as he is presented with a posy from the girl, for “God’s loving word.” The line is squiggly and energetic, with pastel color and figures that float over white space or have whole rooms or gardens to roam in. Both children, grateful for morning stories, appear in a double-page spread surrounded by books and stuffed toys as their mother reads to them—an image that begs to be a poster.

Low-key and gentle; a book to be thankful for. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-310-00088-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER
by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan

- BOOK REVIEW
ONE EARTH
by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Rogério Coelho

- BOOK REVIEW
BIRDIE
by Eileen Spinelli

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS MOTHER'S DAY BLESSINGS

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THE BERENSTAIN BEARS MOTHER'S DAY BLESSINGS

From the Berenstain Bears series

by Mike Berenstain ; illustrated by Mike Berenstain ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2016

This Mother’s Day tale is rather limited in its audience to those who can afford fancy brunch after their own religious...

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The Berenstains’ son adds a Mother’s Day entry to the series, continuing the adventures of the Bear family with a religious focus.

Brother, Sister, and Honey want to do something special for Mama for Mother’s Day, and Papa helps them think of just the thing—brunch at the Bear Country Inn after church—and they can invite Grizzly Gran, too. On the ride to church, Mama points out all the ways other families are celebrating their own mothers even though these community helpers are working on the holiday: Officer Marguerite’s children bring her flowers as she directs traffic, and Mrs. Ben’s children are pitching in with farm chores. Indeed, the trip to church is eye-opening for the cubs, who never realized that some of their neighbors even had children. During the church service, Preacher Brown thanks God for the gift of mothers and quotes the Bible: “Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches.” While the illustrations are the same as ever (the smiling bears haven’t aged a bit!), the series seems to have moved away from addressing a variety of families.

This Mother’s Day tale is rather limited in its audience to those who can afford fancy brunch after their own religious services, contrary to its apparent message that being together is all that matters. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-310-74869-4

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
FAMILY
by Mike Berenstain ; illustrated by Mike Berenstain

- BOOK REVIEW
JUST GRIN AND BEAR IT!
by Mike Berenstain ; illustrated by Mike Berenstain

- BOOK REVIEW
SHOW-AND-TELL
by Mike Berenstain & illustrated by Mike Berenstain

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MIRIAM IN THE DESERT

by Jacqueline Jules & illustrated by Natascia Ugliano ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010

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Miriam, Moses’s sister, is featured in the fourth in Jules’s Bible series, offering encouragement and guidance to the Israelites as they continue their seemingly endless thirst- and hunger-filled journey through the desert following their escape from Egypt. Miriam’s belief in God’s miracles quells the groups’ negative complaints. “Miracles, miracles / Praise God’s might! / We see miracles / Day and night.” Sweet water and manna wondrously appear to satisfy each one before the travelers reach the mountain of Sinai to receive God’s Ten Commandments. Bezalel, the artist chosen by God to build the Holy Ark, is represented here as Miriam’s grandson (and the narrator of the tale), who plays a crucial role in developing a new spiritual future for the Jews. Deeply colored pastel-and-acrylic double-page paintings effectively portray a legendary biblical setting in a guileless and unsophisticated style; the deep ochres and blues of the desert landscape provide a warm backdrop that takes the edge off the misery of the Israelites. They effectively match the original and simple dialogue-driven text. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)