An enthusiastic introduction to cognition that functions as a self-help guide for kids and adults alike.
Lipke’s debut children’s book teaches young readers about the benefits and pitfalls of different ways of thinking.
Young Leo is walking home from school when an apple falls from a tree. Luckily, his older brother Davis catches the apple right before it lands on Leo’s head. This sparks a discussion between the siblings about fast thinking and slow thinking. People do the fast kind automatically, which is how Davis stopped the falling fruit. But other problems, like searching for something lost, require slow thinking. In a series of brief scenarios, the author, a psychologist, examines situations in which one of these ways of thinking may be preferable. For example, you may focus too much on someone calling you a name, but if you use slow thinking to consider why that bothers you, it may trouble you less. In other instances, slow thinking can lead to fast thinking, as when you learn a new skill with plenty of practice (once you’ve mastered that skill, you can rely on fast thinking). While Lipke clearly distinguishes good things from bad things (like hurtful name-calling), he also ends most chapters with questions for readers to work out on their own. In one example, university student Karen tells her cousins Davis and Leo that self-confidence can become a problem if you think you’re better than others. The chapter’s closing prompt offers something intriguing to ponder: “Do you think there are things almost everyone is confident about?” Most of the stories herein involve the brothers or their relatives and friends, such as their classmates and their quick-to-anger Uncle Floyd. Simple black-and-white illustrations by Streetlight Graphics, including a few children’s drawings, effectively support the text; the highlight depicts a teacher tripping over an “un-put-away octopus stuffy” and conveniently landing on a trampoline.
An enthusiastic introduction to cognition that functions as a self-help guide for kids and adults alike.Pub Date: July 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780991065325
Page Count: 54
Publisher: Good Looking Software
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist.
This follow-up to How To Read a Story (2005) shows a child going through the steps of creating a story, from choosing an idea through sharing with friends.
A young black child lies in a grassy field writing in a journal, working on “Step 1 / Search for an Idea— / a shiny one.” During a walk to the library, various ideas float in colorful thought bubbles, with exclamation points: “playing soccer! / dogs!” Inside the library, less-distinct ideas, expressed as shapes and pictures, with question marks, float about as the writer collects ideas to choose from. The young writer must then choose a setting, a main character, and a problem for that protagonist. Plotting, writing with detail, and revising are described in child-friendly terms and shown visually, in the form of lists and notes on faux pieces of paper. Finally, the writer sits in the same field, in a new season, sharing the story with friends. The illustrations feature the child’s writing and drawing as well as images of imagined events from the book in progress bursting off the page. The child’s main character is an adventurous mermaid who looks just like the child, complete with afro-puff pigtails, representing an affirming message about writing oneself into the world. The child’s family, depicted as black, moves in the background of the setting, which is also populated by a multiracial cast.
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist. (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5666-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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