Even the most patient and precocious of preschoolers will need lots of help with this one.
A challenging exercise in sorting, categorization and identification.
The book opens with a spread populated by 11 nearly identical polar bears and four questions: “Who is shy? Who is very shy? Who has a little snowflake on his nose? And who is going on a winter holiday?” Not only are readers likely to be somewhat perplexed at being asked to sort shy bears from very shy ones, they might well find the differences in the animals’ facial features too subtle to be meaningful. The bear with the snowflake on his nose and the one going on holiday—presumably the one with the hat on his head—are a bit easier to identify. Subsequently, readers are asked to sort angry from very angry rhinos, happy from very happy frogs, sad from very sad spiders and more. Each spread also asks readers to locate a creature wearing something specific or performing a certain action, and there’s always one going on a winter holiday. A simultaneously publishing title, 8 9 and 10, incorporates counting questions—asking readers, for instance, “Who is standing on 1 leg and who on 2?” and “Who has 2 humps and who has 3?” Though it’s not a board book, Not All Animals Are Blue, by Béatrice Boutignon (2009), covers similar ground far more successfully.
Even the most patient and precocious of preschoolers will need lots of help with this one. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60537-186-3
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
A simple spin on Parr’s It’s Okay to Be Different (2001) but still worth shouting from the rooftops.
A call to celebrate unique characteristics and individuality.
“Be who you are” is essentially the message behind every Parr book, subtle or not. His latest doesn’t pull any punches; it splashes self-acceptance across every page. “Be old. Be young. / Be a different color.” (Not that one ever has to remind Parr’s readers of that!) “Be silly” is paired with the obligatory shot of underwear on one’s head, while “Be brave” shows a tiny fish face to face with a shark (the shark just might be the bravest of all). A more-contemplative scene shows a cat peering curiously at a dog’s food bowl, with the guidance: “Learn in your own way.” (A few pages later two turquoise pigeons peer at a hot dog; a nifty literary nod.) A note to readers tells of Parr’s fourth-grade penchant for clip-on ties and purple sunglasses. To children everywhere, as well as to the child within himself, Parr declares: “Wear everything you need to be you.” Accompanying this invitation are six smiling figures, one a child with close-cropped hair, trousers, and a pink boa and another with an enormous Afro. Parr’s trademark bright colors and wild fashion abound, but the one thing that unifies all? A single line, curved into a smile.
A simple spin on Parr’s It’s Okay to Be Different (2001) but still worth shouting from the rooftops. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-26523-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Aspirational—but not quite ascending to the inspirational.
Explores different ways one’s voice can be used.
The unidentified narrator begins by chronicling different types of voices: “loud and proud,” “soft and sweet,” “patient and wise,” and more. The Deaf community is included in both text and art, and sign language is alluded to: “There’s a voice that is silent / but STILL CAN BE HEARD / with hands that move / to speak EVERY word.” The vibrant, colorful art presents an array of children of different races and skin tones. Unfortunately, this well-meaning book does not cohere. The art in some spreads does not appear to augment or even connect to the text. For example, the lines “I’LL SAY NO TO HATE / by using this voice / and ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE— / a magical choice” are illustrated with a spread of four children: one playing the trumpet, another singing, one with a drum major’s hat and baton, and the final child skateboarding. Readers may be confused by how these images apply to the text since they have no direct relation to saying no to hate or choosing love. Spreads with children holding protest signs feel disconnected to the present moment with no Black Lives Matter or BLM–related signs depicted. Some text excludes nonbinary children, asserting “we’re SISTERS / and BROTHERS.”
Aspirational—but not quite ascending to the inspirational. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-35218-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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