Preaches to the choir.
A picture-book introduction to the police.
A preface by the author/illustrator’s son Mark R. Levin, a lawyer and Fox News personality, tells readers, “My father…understands that in all walks of life, and in every profession, man’s imperfections present themselves.” But, distressed by “news reports painting police officers…in an extremely negative light,” he was stirred to create this book so that young readers might “learn to respect law and order.” After that beginning, straightforward text combines with simple, childlike illustrations to introduce various types of police officers and what they do, including traffic police, dog handlers, and state troopers. Unsurprisingly, this is an unnuanced, positive portrayal. “When a fierce hurricane hits, the police remain steadfast. Amid the rising floodwaters, they search for missing people and stranded pets.” The book does not fall into the common trap of adducing the criminality of those arrested but not yet tried—indeed, there’s just one depiction of an arrest, in the beam of light cast by a police helicopter as the text reads that its job is to “make sure all is safe in the surrounding neighborhood.” It is deeply unfortunate, however, in a book that is attempting to rehabilitate the police with young audiences, that the vast preponderance of officers depicted appear to be white (as are those they interact with). Nowhere in the book’s determined cheerleading is there room to respect the experiences of those who have lost family members and friends to the police and who themselves feel targeted.
Preaches to the choir. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2950-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
Butler’s latest installment featuring the stalwart, fuzzy brown companion has Barney (My Brown Bear Barney in Trouble, 1993, etc.) attending a rambunctious birthday party with his owner. On the big day, the narrator and her best friend Fred arrive bearing gifts for Harold, the birthday boy. The problem is that Harold’s baby sister, Poppy, promptly confiscates Barney. The series of misadventures that ensues will seem perfectly reasonable to tots and alarmingly familiar to parents and caregivers. In the chaos of the three celebrants pitching out of the hammock “ship” and a subsequent, rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday,” Barney gets alternately painted and dunked in the aquarium by Poppy. This necessitates not one but two baths for the soiled toy. Thus when the party is over—and Harold’s mother recumbent upon her bed—Barney looks all fluffy and new while the partygoers look quite disheveled but beamingly happy. Butler’s simple prose is just right for young children. Preschoolers in particular will relish the meticulous descriptions of the day’s activities, which include an in-depth accounting of the preparations leading up to the big event. Fuller’s detailed watercolors, reminiscent of photographs, are presented scrapbook style, with each individual illustration framed with an edging of color and occupying three quarters of every page. Brimming with adventure and fun, this is one little ones will enjoy hearing over and again. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2001
ISBN: 0-688-17548-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An energetic tale for kids that explores different ways to tell stories.
In Clark’s picture book, a young girl’s big imagination sometimes gets her into big trouble.
Greta Maloney is an only child with a dog named Digby, but she wishes she had a brother so she could have “someone else to dream with.” The stories she tells at school are as big as her dreams. When a classmate mentions her brother, Greta suddenly claims to have 12 brothers and 14 sisters; when someone else presents a pet turtle at show-and-tell, Greta says she has a pet dinosaur. Her neighbor Cooper Carlson calls her out with a slogan that catches on: “That’s phony baloney, Greta Maloney!” Nonetheless, she keeps spinning yarns. Their teacher tries her best to be gentle with Greta’s big personality, but her classmates are less kind. The next morning, Greta’s mother urges her to be her genuine self, and she pivots to a new approach. In this book, Clark effectively offers her most exuberant young readers a protagonist who stays true to her epic imagination, but also models how to harness one’s talents in ways that can benefit others. Clements’ full-color cartoon illustrations are full of the same boisterous energy as the main character, blurring the lines between fact and Greta’s fictions; one features a rocket ship shooting right through the classroom.
An energetic tale for kids that explores different ways to tell stories.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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