A valiant attempt to introduce culture and simple words, but the alphabet structure is a poor vehicle.
Simple Korean words and culture are introduced to young Westerners using an ABC format.
Two language-learning and software professionals, Amen and Park, use an alphabetic structure to introduce Korean words using simple verse supplemented by tidbits of surprising information. For example, one page reads “D is for dal, / the moon shining bright. / I think it’s a rabbit / who visits each night.” The sidebar states that in “Korea and other East Asian countries, people say there’s a rabbit in the moon in the same way that we say there’s a man in the moon.” Illustrations are reminiscent of manga-styled cartoons, with a little girl named Ji-min providing additional context for the definitions. Strengths include seeing the Korean words in Hangeul as well as in its Romanized form, with the English word in bold to correlate the two. Although there is an occasional less-than-successful rhyme, the word selections are interesting and provide insight into the culture. However, the alphabetic structure is problematic. The Korean alphabet does not have equivalent sounds for the letters F, L, Q, V, X and Z, nearly a quarter of the examples. An English word stands in its place. Although this too provides insight into the language, the inconsistent structure creates confusion.
A valiant attempt to introduce culture and simple words, but the alphabet structure is a poor vehicle. (preface, pronunciation guide) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8048-4273-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Tuttle
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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