Merrily edifying.
Explore the ABCs from axolotl to zapata.
Incorporating words in Spanish, Nahuatl, Mayan, and languages from other Mesoamerican cultures, Valtierra’s idiosyncratic alphabetical walkthrough invites readers to engage with the sounds and images found therein. Broadly familiar words such as chocolate, guacamole, and jaguar mingle alongside potentially lesser-known ones, like the active stratovolcano Popocatépetl, the Wixárika people, and yollotl, a Nahuatl word meaning heart. Short, upbeat verses in both English and Spanish accompany each word, generally mirroring each other in mood and tone. Different meanings often emerge between the two verse forms nonetheless, making them more easily accessible to bilingual readers. Valtierra maintains a pleasant cadence from verse to verse thanks to an evenhanded approach, ranging from softly deferential—such as her ode to the Quetzalcoatl (“The Aztecs knew him, kind and true, / With beautiful feathers, green and blue”)—to dizzily humorous, like his entry on a bundle of food known as itacate to take on a journey, which can include “tamales, tacos, anything delicious, / Don’t eat too much or you’ll feel nauseous!” Pronunciation boxes also supplement the concepts and mythological figures showcased in the story. Of course, the occasional word might pose a challenge to readers—for instance, the courageous god of war, Huitzilopochtli (“wee tsee loh POHCH tlee”)—but overall, this alphabet chronicle shares its enthusiasm for language rather generously. Employing an Aztec codex style, the artist injects an anarchic spirit into his colorful artwork.
Merrily edifying. (author’s note, pronunciations and etymology, information on glyphs, QR code linking to more information on the words and artwork) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145676
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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