by Hamilton Brower Annette Parker Martin ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012
An inspiring poetry book for all ages.
In their debut children’s book, Brower and Martin select a single word for each letter of the alphabet as part of their poetry about living a life full of compassion and integrity.
Tackling such complex concepts as consequence, focus, moderation and negotiating, Brower and Martin give each topic a thoughtful poetic definition. With considerable care in word choice, the authors convert simple words into a meditative exercise by distilling each idea into pleasing, cogent rhymes. In many cases, the poems simply illuminate lessons, such as “kindness”: “It’s showing concern when another’s in pain / And offering help though you’ve nothing to gain” or “yourself”: “You, yourself, and only you can build you or can break you / No matter how you’re treated, in the end it’s you who’ll make you.” To strengthen comprehension, a few empty pages at the end urge readers to write about ways the lessons might be enacted, thus turning the book from an exercise in learning into one of sharing and growing as well. However familiar the words may be, the authors find ways to make the concepts fresh by bringing new perspectives. Although categorized as a children’s book, the inspiring poems and lovely, full-color photography of people, places, animals and landmarks will also appeal to an older audience, even if the connection between the image and poetry isn’t always immediately clear. The poetry’s soothing meter makes this collection a perfect bedtime read and one that can be revisited as age brings a new understanding of the noble sentiments.
An inspiring poetry book for all ages.Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0981678177
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Arkett Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011
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
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More by Josh Schneider
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by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
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by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
BOOK REVIEW
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
by Millie Florence ; illustrated by Astrid Sheckels ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2025
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
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In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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