Cozy.
A song made into a picture book rings the dinner bell for community togetherness.
Without musical accompaniment, Workman’s lyrics seem a bit forced in their rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, but Eckwall’s illustrations help transform them into a story about a child and a woman making and sharing soup. They are both white and appear to be a grandmother and her grandchild, though this is nowhere specified in the text. The community that gathers with them in their home for soup on a wintry day is a diverse one, as people with various skin tones, hair textures, and attire come to sit at the table. One child wearing a feathered cape arrives astride a wolf and accompanied by a veritable peaceable kingdom of forest animals. This characterization tips the visual narrative into the realm of fantasy, which, while playful, risks undermining the real-world validity of the central themes of community and food-sharing. On the other hand, there is much to appreciate about the watercolors from debut illustrator Eckwall, which include a close-up, gorgeous spread of soup ingredients that looks like something out of Cook’s Illustrated as well as cozy interior scenes of people gathered together juxtaposed with out-of-doors settings of their journeys to the house.
Cozy. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-770-49871-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts.
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.
Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. “One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly’s legs. One family.” Gomez’s richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For “six,” a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.”
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-374-30003-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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