Between clever quilted endpapers, Burgos and D’Alessandro set a comfy space for readers.
From her small apartment in Washington Heights, New York City, a young girl dreams of the perfect place to sleep.
Guest after guest relies on the cot in the Afro-Latina protagonist’s living room for last-minute accommodations. The narrator imagines an ideal night with the living room all to herself and narrates her disappointment each time a new family friend has dibs on the cot, all illustrated with playfully patterned backdrops against which the vibrant, colorful characters pop. Still, when Raquel, Edgardo, or Lisa sleep over, readers see glimpses of the precarious circumstances necessitating their stays even as the narrator remains oblivious and noticeably jealous. She’s nonetheless helpful in the process of preparing a temporary home for kids in need. Mami, Papi, and her older sister may not understand the desire to sleep in the living room, but, as a family, they’re noticeably loving and supportive of one another and their diverse Uptown Manhattan neighbors. When the time comes for the protagonist to get her turn on the cot, she quickly realizes it’s not all it was cracked up to be. Ultimately, the cot in the living room isn’t as magical as she imagined, but she learns that spaces—even tight ones—created of love and care can be the source of her own magic.
Between clever quilted endpapers, Burgos and D’Alessandro set a comfy space for readers. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11047-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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