A well-meaning story with universal appeal.
In Albright’s debut picture book, a mother explains the concept of heaven to her young daughter after their beloved dog dies.
Light-skinned Lanie and her small, black-and-white dog, Sassie, have always been good friends, playing together and sharing snacks. One day, Lanie’s light-skinned mom tells her that Sassie has died and gone to heaven. She describes the wonderful things that Sassie will find there, such as dog treats growing on trees. She also explains how dogs befriend people who arrive in heaven and help them navigate it. Now, Lanie’s mom says, Sassie is “helping other people who need to feel the joy and enthusiastic welcome that only a dog can provide.” That night, Lanie dreams of playing with Sassie, saying goodbye to the dog, and watching her head toward her new “job.” Albright has the mother express some truly poignant sentiments, such as “It is important…that we hold onto all those happy thoughts to help us remember her.” Other statements are somewhat puzzling, though, such as that Sassie “is SO special and loves us SO much that she ages faster than we do.” However, the book’s overall message may provide comfort to kids dealing with a pet’s death. Debut illustrator Hombs’ bright images feature engaging details, including textured trees and clouds. Youngsters will enjoy the depictions of various dogs.
A well-meaning story with universal appeal.Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-578-45681-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Albright Creative, LLC
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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