Few books so truthfully represent a child’s wandering, unwavering wondering.
A boy daydreams, wondering “where the birds are flying to,” “who makes the clouds,” “what the best playground in the world might be like,” “what the crossing guard’s sign would taste like,” and “how the stars shine.”
Grown-ups don’t like his reverie one bit. They hiss harsh reprimands, needling him to stay focused and not to let his imagination carry him away. His art teacher, however, encourages him to do just that and offers him a blank piece of drawing paper. The humdrum sepia tones of everyday life disperse as colorful, sparkling birds carry the boy (and readers) aloft into the upper atmosphere of his imagination, a place throbbing with light and color and spinning with spiraling shapes and twisty-turning coils. Children quickly see these delightfully elaborate illustrations (brimming with round bears, bustling bunnies, swirling stars, and puffy clouds) as the boy’s unfettered imaginings, his answers to all those earlier questions. They could easily spend hours belly-down on a rug pondering each of the five double-page spreads, all spectacularly whimsical, humorous, wild, bold, and unbridled. While adult sensibilities might find these pictures overwhelming (or even a bit like a roller-coaster ride after too much candy), children won’t question them at all.
Few books so truthfully represent a child’s wandering, unwavering wondering. (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7957-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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