With sensible and practical suggestions for a wide variety of situations, this is a welcome update.
Advice for tweens and teens about getting and performing a traditional teen entry-level job: babysitting.
This second edition of the 2012 original features up-to-date safety instructions, a modernized approach to behavior management, more inclusive language, and a fresh look. The text has been broken up into short paragraphs with bolded subheadings and presented with ample leading and spacing, which gives it a more inviting appearance. But much of the basic common-sense advice has been retained as well as the logical organization and examples from the experiences of real teens. The first section provides a self-assessment, an overall picture of what babysitting children of different ages is like, and tips for how to get started. A middle section covers essential skills for handling feeding, toileting, bathing, dressing, entertaining, and bedtimes as well as dealing with emergencies. Bondy strongly encourages getting first-aid and CPR training before taking on child care responsibilities. She offers excellent advice for handling challenging behavior. The text takes into account children with disabilities, encouraging sitters to communicate with parents about accommodations. A final section explains the business basics of babysitting, including a babysitter’s rights and obligations. All this advice is conveyed with humor in a friendly and encouraging tone, suggesting a gentle, flexible, and responsible approach.
With sensible and practical suggestions for a wide variety of situations, this is a welcome update. (resources, index) (Nonfiction. 11-18)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72842-029-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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