Next book

WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?

An energetic, simple exploration of food’s journey from farm to table for today’s young locavores.

Chepito, an inquisitive little boy, wanders around his agricultural community posing the titular question to the various people he encounters, all laborers involved in food production.

Manuel tends corn, Ramón milks the cow, and Maria makes tortillas. As Chepito asks his friendly neighbors why they are doing their various activities, they each respond in a way that helps him to understand not only what it is that they are doing, but how it connects to his life specifically. When asked why she is feeding the chickens, Doña Ana tells him, “So that they can grow strong and lay good eggs like the ones you just had for breakfast.” The soft, earthy palette of the illustrations is well-suited for the rural setting. Each character wears a subtle grin on his or her face, complementing the curious tone of the narrative. Spanish words are presented throughout the text, blended in with the English without the use of special typeface or simultaneous translations, though context makes them clear: Juan and Dolores are tying plants to sticks “[s]o that these beans can grow on the plants. See the frijoles inside?” A brief glossary at the end provides the English definitions of the Spanish words.

An energetic, simple exploration of food’s journey from farm to table for today’s young locavores. (glossary) (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 10, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-55498-453-4

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014

Next book

MONSTERS GO NIGHT-NIGHT

Combine monsters, ridiculousness, and audience participation for a delightfully raucous result.

Though this book is all about monsters’ bedtime routines, don’t be fooled—this will induce not sleep but its opposite.

Young readers see each step the monsters take in getting ready for bed and are asked to guess which of several items they might eat for a bedtime snack, use to take a bath and brush their teeth, wear as pajamas, snuggle with, and kiss. The very simple sentences and clues in the bright illustrations allow even the youngest children to “read” this very quickly. “MONSTERS eat bedtime snacks. / Which snack do MONSTERS eat?” A glass of milk, a carrot, a piece of bread, or an umbrella? A turn of the page reveals “MONSTERS eat UMBRELLAS!” Similarly, monsters ignore the rubber ducky, shampoo, and bar of soap in favor of bathing in chocolate pudding. By the third question, most children will have caught on and will be happily blurting out the most ridiculous item on the page, which also happens to stand out clearly from the other three. Helpfully, the author breaks this pattern when it comes to potty time. In his ink, brush, and Photoshop illustrations, Zenz uses bright, plain backgrounds to keep the focus on the characters and their choices. The monsters are adorable and wonderfully diverse in all their multilimbed and -eyed glory, featuring sprouts of hair, horns, tails, and spikes.

Combine monsters, ridiculousness, and audience participation for a delightfully raucous result. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4197-1653-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Abrams Appleseed

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Next book

MY GOOD MORNING

A simple story enhanced by its funny, gently ironic illustrations.

A little girl diligently gets ready for her day but leaves lots of messes in her wake.

The unnamed girl has light brown skin and dark brown curls similar to her dad’s, and her mom is white. The characters in the digital illustrations have big, exaggerated eyes. The child narrates the text matter-of-factly in simple rhyming sentences: “Time to go potty. I can do this! / Mommy is there to make sure I don’t miss.” Each double-page spread presents a slightly different, humorous visual interpretation of the situation, and it’s in this juxtaposition that the book shines. The cat’s in the hamper, underwear and socks are on the floor, and the pink toilet paper is trailing all over. The two parents seem a little overwhelmed. As they both try to get the girl into her clothes, one arm escapes, and the dad is really sweating from exertion. She insists on tying her laces and buttoning her coat, and the illustrations show the exuberant but incomplete results. As the girl grabs her backpack, her apple rolls out, and Mommy has to grab it. At school, she hangs her coat up, but somehow it lands on the floor (her scarf is also awry), and observant viewers will notice that her shoelace is still untied. In her diverse classroom, she proudly announces: “But this time Daddy, I won’t cry”—and now readers can believe her: there’s nary a tear in sight.

A simple story enhanced by its funny, gently ironic illustrations. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: May 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-60537-342-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clavis

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

Close Quickview