A humorous reminder of the importance of time alone.
Long’s amusing cartoon-style animals work through friendship issues, balancing alone time with playtime in a picture book that introduces three new, recurring characters.
One sunny day, Lion is “enjoying some time in his Alone Spot when suddenly” his good friend Bear startles the feline Picasso, shouting, “TAG! YOU’RE IT!” Lion is not happy about being disturbed, so Bear runs off to play with Tiger—who straightaway tags Lion. Lion just wants some peace and quiet to finish his painting. The tension escalates as the two troublemakers keep pestering Lion. “But it’s playtime,” insists Tiger. Lion tries to separate himself, but finally he reaches his breaking point and shouts back, “PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! I do NOT want to play!” Long’s digital artwork keeps the tone light, with pastel colors, clean lines, and exaggerated expressions; those expressions, body language, and speech bubbles do the heavy narrative lifting, with just a few lines of narrative stitching the action together. Once Lion promises that he’ll play after his painting is done, Tiger and Bear leave him alone to work. Long skillfully avoids didacticism while showing children how they can use their words to navigate the tricky waters of friendship. Young readers will giggle at the final page as Lion tags Bear in the never-ending favorite childhood game.
A humorous reminder of the importance of time alone. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1896-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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