This book makes a memorable experience.
Readers are encouraged to take a moment to listen to every sound around them.
Sometimes the “big, wild world” is full of noise. But “what if you stop, close your eyes, and LISTEN? Can you hear each sound?” A dog, a crow; a teakettle, a “hello.” New words in school, the sounds of feelings; the rain, the wind, the quiet? While a narrator addresses readers, asking them to listen past the noise, the illustrations show a brown-skinned kid with two Afro puffs starting the day on a busy street, walking to school with dad, who presents White, and spending time with friends. The pictures conclude with bedtime scenes with a mother figure, who is Black, and broad views of the neighborhood at night. Through sensory engagement, the narrative offers a fresh way to engage with the world, showing that even when the surroundings seem overwhelming, one has the power of attention—useful for learning, calm, empathy, and more. The combination of city scenes and machines, human families and groups, nature and pets creates a vision of harmony in which all creatures play a part. The blue color scheme accented with red parallels the text’s soothing tone while colored and styled font accents support the idea of listening and distinguishing between sounds and words. Endmatter defines different modes of hearing and responding to sounds. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This book makes a memorable experience. (Picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6189-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A riotously fresh take on breaking the fourth wall.
This book may not have pictures, but it’s sure to inspire lots of conversations—and laughs.
Television writer, actor and comedian Novak delivers a rare find, indeed: a very good celebrity picture book. It doesn’t even seem fair to call it such, since it has nothing to do with his Emmy Award–winning writing for The Office or the fame his broader career has afforded him. The jacket flap even eschews a glossy photo, instead saying “B.J. has brown hair and blue eyes,” in order to keep with the book’s central conceit. What this book does have is text, and it’s presented through artful typography that visually conveys its changing tone to guide oral readings. Furthermore, the text implies (or rather, demands) a shared reading transaction, in which an adult is compelled to read the text aloud, no matter how “COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS” it is. Employing direct address, it pleads with the implied child listener to allow him or her to stop reading. Nonsense words, silly words to be sung and even a smattering of potty talk for good measure all coalesce in riotous read-aloud fare. Although the closing pages beg the implied child reader to “please please please please / please / choose a book with pictures” for subsequent reading, it’s likely that this request will be ignored.
A riotously fresh take on breaking the fourth wall. (. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-4171-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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