A sweet and upbeat celebration.
With the support of a caring babysitter, a child longing for connection and self-expression fulfills their dream of owning a puppy.
Quiet fills the house where Simone lives with their busy parents. It’s the complete opposite of the noisy house across the street, where Simone’s new babysitter, Chloe, lives with her pregnant dog, Piano. Amid the color and bright energy at Chloe’s, Simone has a blast playing dress-up in the costumes Chloe designs for TV and theater productions. When Simone falls in love with a “dazzling” silk dress, they dream of wearing one just like it and having a puppy of their own too. Narrated by Simone, the text never indicates pronouns for Simone or explicitly discusses their gender identity. However, sharing their true name plays a significant role in the story’s positive resolution. Characters use Simone’s old name several times before Simone introduces their true name, but once they know it, neither Chloe nor Simone’s parents hesitate to use it. Illustrations depict Simone, their dad, and Chloe with brown skin and dark hair, and Simone’s mom with pale skin and blond hair. The use of color in Simone’s surroundings matches their shifting emotions, capturing sadness with muted shades and happiness with bright, contrasting ones. Ultimately Simone’s feelings are centered in the narrative, and the resolution emphasizes the joy of belonging and self-expression.
A sweet and upbeat celebration. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-989996-03-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Rebel Mountain Press
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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