IS THERE ENOUGH?

Name: IS THERE ENOUGH?
Author: Faye Ellen Hartzell
ISBN: 978-1612251271

by Faye Ellen Hartzell illustrated by Melody Grace Cave ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2014

A comforting book about welcoming a new baby into the family.

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

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A sensitive, introspective 5-year-old contemplates the consequences of having a new sibling in Hartzell’s pleasant debut, complemented by Cave’s sweet illustrations.

Young Noah is the most introspective of his siblings. His oldest brother, Jake, looks destined to become an engineer, and his other brother, Zach, is interested in drawing (and messing up Jake’s Lego towers). Noah observes his family in all their everyday rituals and pays close attention. He counts the chairs at the table and decides that, yes, there will be enough chairs when his new baby sibling arrives. He counts the number of places to sit in the living room: Yes, there will be enough, he thinks. He checks with his mother to confirm that there will be enough beds in their house and also counts the number of seats in the family minivan. When his parents go off to the hospital, however, Noah is still worried. What might be in short supply? Parents will likely guess the answer long before their children do: Noah’s worried that his mother might not have enough love for all her children. After giving birth, his mother explains, with a colorful, hand-drawn diagram of a heart, that with each new child, her love has only grown—there’s room for them all. It’s a message that will be particularly comforting for children expecting a new brother or sister. Although the text is dense for a kids’ book, Hartzell does a good job of giving Noah a simple, yet satisfying, answer to his question. The style of Cave’s illustrations is largely realistic, reflecting little of Noah’s anxiety, beyond his pensive expression. Some illustrations are set at strange angles (one looks down at the dining room table from above, for example), but overall, they’re child-friendly and match the story’s calm tone.

A comforting book about welcoming a new baby into the family.

Pub Date: May 9, 2014

ISBN: 978-1612251271

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Mirror Publishing

Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

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THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.