Amusingly irreverent, but young children will feel the lack of a moral or an apple-ly–ever-after.
Lewis-Jones returns with another installment of his Bad Apple picture-book series starring one foul fruit.
Antihero Apple is up to no good again. He “drank Pea’s tea, and stole Cat’s hat, and other naughty things like that.” Granny Smith, “one of the oldest apples,” lectures him about his bad manners, and Red and Golden, “two delicious apples,” urge him to be sweet like them. The popular apples (Bramley, Braeburn, and Cox) suggest that he show a little more team spirit, and the “fabulous apples”—Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady, and Jazz—advise him to let go of his anger. But Apple is too hardcore (pun intended) of a grouch and a troublemaker to listen. It’s Pineapple’s birthday, and Apple crashes the party, filches Pineapple’s party hat, and imprisons the rest of the apples in an apple crumble. Readers hoping for a comeuppance for Apple (like the one he got in the previous book in the series) will be disappointed. In a darkly humorous, picaresque ending, the fate of the other apples is left unknown, and Apple learns nothing—once a rotten apple, always a rotten apple. Lewis-Jones’ sparingly narrated text has a certain appeal for those who appreciate dark wit. Sanders’ minimalist illustrations are playful and expressive and use watercolor washes effectively to vary the appearances of the anthropomorphic characters.
Amusingly irreverent, but young children will feel the lack of a moral or an apple-ly–ever-after. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-500-65244-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.
What can you do when things go wrong?
Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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