This tale about weeds delivers a valuable message but uneven rhymes and images.
A girl discovers that both planted seeds and weeds have their places in a garden in this debut illustrated children’s book.
Beginning with the old nursery rhyme about contrary Mary, Bird describes the frustrations of a girl who wears overalls, sports red braids, and deals with weeds taking over her garden. An adult with matching features (freckled pale skin and red hair) and a wide-brimmed hat tries to convince the girl that the weeds aren’t so bad: “Mary, Mary, please don’t worry / Your garden needs more space. / Can you think of something, / So they all have a place?” After the adult extols the virtues of the weeds, Mary reworks her garden (and her attitude) so that all of the plants have room to grow. The author’s rhymes begin with the pattern of the original nursery rhyme (with a longer third line and extra inset rhymes). But they shift to a more standard stanza, with alternate or paired lines providing the rhyme. The occasional use of British spellings (colours) and advanced vocabulary words (debut, taboo, adieu, and nutrients) may stymie newly independent American readers. A lengthy guide in the back describes folk remedies and the merits of common weeds, many of which are species brought to North America from Europe. Mentions of Irish, Scottish, and English origins offer specific geographic traditions while the general use of Native American implies a single, past culture rather than a rich variety of living traditions. The uncredited mixed-media illustrations feature cartoon humans against a background of realistically painted plants and settings. The flower images, especially in the end pages, are worthy of a field guide while the cartoon drawings of the humans are rough. Mary has a potatolike nose covered in dirt and her eyes are disproportionately oversized. Still, lap readers may enjoy spotting the bee and the snail hidden in every picture.
This tale about weeds delivers a valuable message but uneven rhymes and images.Pub Date: May 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5255-4558-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.
This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early...
Elephant and Piggie make an appearance to introduce the first in their new series, an egalitarian introduction to superlatives.
Each one of seven blades of talking grass—of a total of eight—discovers that it is superb at something: it’s tallest, curliest, silliest, and so forth. The humor aims to appeal to a broad spectrum. It is slightly disturbing that one being eaten by purple bugs is proud of being the crunchiest, but that will certainly appeal to a slice of the audience. The eighth blade of grass is grappling with a philosophical identity crisis; its name is Walt, a sly reference to Whitman's Leaves of Grass that will go right over the heads of beginning readers but may amuse astute parents or teachers. Tension builds with the approach of a lawn mower; the blades of grass lose their unique features when they are trimmed to equal heights. Mercifully, they are chopped off right above the eyes and can continue their silly banter. Departing from the image of a Whitman-esque free spirit, Walt now discovers he is the neatest. Lots of speech bubbles, repetition, and clear layout make this entry a useful addition to lessons on adjectives and superlatives while delivering a not-so-subtle message that everyone is good at something. Elephant and Piggie's final assertion that “this book is the FUNNIEST” doesn't necessarily make it so, however.
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2635-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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