A cute story that imparts lessons for kids about friendship and family.
In Nat’s debut picture book, a young girl spends the day exploring and learning at the beach with her dad.
Jessie is very excited as she and her dad prepare to head out for the day. She puts on her favorite dress, a matching hat, and sandals and sets off with him on a walk to the beach. Once they arrive, she watches the waves, meets a little crab, and decides to build a sand castle for her new crustacean friend to live in. When she heads home, she reflects on what a great day she had. Overall, Nat offers a sweet tale that focuses on friendship and family. Jessie and her father are shown to have a good relationship as they hold hands and share thoughts while walking down the beach: “She pointed at the tides and said to her dad, ‘It’s like they are singing a song.’ ” He also personally introduces her to the crab on the beach by picking it up and putting it in her hand. Going to the beach is an exciting prospect for Jessie because it’s not only fun in itself, it also means spending quality time with her father. A beach trip is about exploration as well—Jessie is thrilled to see the baby crab in the sand and enjoys how it climbs up on her shoulder and tickles her. A sign of friendship from the creature inspires her to build a house for him as a kindness, and she’s rewarded for her efforts: “Jessie enjoyed looking at the baby crab settling in his new home.” With its easy vocabulary and repetition, this is a story that will be ideal for youngsters who are practicing their reading skills. The simple, brightly colored illustrations by Kumari effectively reflect what’s happening in the text, which will allow children to easily interpret any unfamiliar words.
A cute story that imparts lessons for kids about friendship and family.Pub Date: April 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1478750895
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc.
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
