HOW IT FEELS TO BE A BOAT

Name: HOW IT FEELS TO BE A BOAT
Author: James Kwan
ISBN: 978-0-544-71533-2

by James Kwan ; illustrated by James Kwan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2017

While the topic may seem a bit mature or daunting for very young readers, the story has such quirky sparkle that even if...

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Using the metaphor of a boat on a journey, this second-person story celebrates the richness and possibility of living.

A little boat (“You are a boat”) sets off on its journey. Inside its “belly-rooms” are its quirky inhabitants—personifications of the feelings, sensations, and potentials found in us all. There is (among others) the Chef, a white person in a toque who cooks up “sweet doughy smell[s],” the Big Brass Band who plays a “doot-doot tune,” Daniel, a boy who appears to be Asian and sings “lee lee lee doo,” and a gadget-loving Octopus. And what happens when they don’t get along? Well, the little boat crashes—shown in an effective wordless spread. But remember, author/illustrator Kwan tells readers in his second-person narration, “you are strong, and piece by crooked piece you are made.” The little boat is repaired by its inhabitants and continues: “You are crooked but you are strong. / You are a boat. / Ahoy, Ahoy!” This poignant yet lighthearted affirmation asserts the uniqueness of each individual and reassures readers that while life is complex, sometimes messy, and even occasionally catastrophic, it is all part of the journey.

While the topic may seem a bit mature or daunting for very young readers, the story has such quirky sparkle that even if readers don’t quite get its meaning, they will be delighted with its sense of playfulness. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: July 4, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-544-71533-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)