A perfect choice to spread hope and fight stereotypes at the same time
The lyrics of international music sensation Harris J’s popular song are paired with sunny illustrations to offer a youthful vision of world peace and love in this heartfelt picture book.
Muslims often explain that their greeting of “Assalaam alaikum” means “peace,” but rarely is the idea conveyed so clearly as it is through words and pictures in this new picture book. Harris J’s catchy lyrics (“I just want to spread love and peace / and all of my happiness / to everyone that I meet”) may not be the most original poetic writing, but they are a breath of fresh air sure to bring a smile to readers young and old while introducing the Muslim greeting as “A Message of Peace,” as the title tagline has it. Faces of many races and creeds transform from troubled to ecstatic as strangers perform random acts of kindness and pay forward the love they receive. Jenkins’ illustrations use splashes of yellow and gold to visually highlight the good deeds being passed from person to person, so that a dark and dreary day becomes bright through kindness and love. Fans of Harris J will be thrilled and will likely sing the verses happily as they read. Readers new to Harris J will come away with a lasting impression of this young Muslim’s commitment to spreading world peace and love.
A perfect choice to spread hope and fight stereotypes at the same time . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8938-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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BOOK REVIEW
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