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LITTLE FISH

Name: LITTLE FISH
Author: Emily Rand
ISBN: 978-0-500-65162-9

by Emily Rand ; illustrated by Emily Rand ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 17, 2019

A dramatic and decorative marine miniadventure, best for those graduated from board books.

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A reef in the round provides both home and hazards for a small orange goby.

Furnished with a ribbon to tie the covers back, Rand’s five-sided marine setting offers multilayered views of brightly colored coral in an array of cutout forms and thick fronds of waving greenery along with glimpses of jellyfish and other sea life. It seems an idyllic place for a very small golden fish…until the goby is left alone when a playmate is swept away in a shoal of other fish. It goes on after an encounter with a friendly sea turtle to hide first from a “grumpy grouper” and then, well: “In the vast and empty ocean, / where the water’s deep and dark, / some white and shiny teeth appear… / Quick, little fish! A SHARK!” In the final scene all is serene once again, as the goby’s playmate returns and the two fish play under the watchful gaze of the turtle and other larger, smiling denizens. It’s a lot of drama for such a compressed format, highlighted by a deliciously shivery shark with outsized teeth and an avid stare. Still, the other scenes are benign enough to allow even very young audiences to enjoy the frisson. The layering of the die-cut characters against their environment makes for pleasingly three-dimensional if rather fragile tableaux.

A dramatic and decorative marine miniadventure, best for those graduated from board books. (Pop-up/picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-500-65162-9

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE HOUSE FULL OF STUFF
by Emily Rand ; illustrated by Emily Rand

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THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

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Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEACH IN MY BEDROOM
by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson

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PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)