Approachable advice for kids who lack confidence.
A young eagle gains the courage to face his fear of flying in this children’s book.
It’s time for Peter, a golden eagle who hatched three months ago, to leave the nest and fly. But he’s scared—so much so that despite having wings, he’s gotten himself a parachute. His mother urges him to have confidence, but Peter is full of what-ifs. Talking to several adult eagles, he discovers that they, too, were once wary of flying or lacked strength at first. But all of them tried their wings and discovered they could do it, got better with practice, and soon loved flying. Still, Peter is reluctant to get started. “What if he fell and snapped a wing?” When a gust of wind blows Peter from his nest, he can’t open his parachute. He panics but also remembers how other eagles were frightened to fly but “found a way to believe in themselves.” As he nears the ground, Peter flaps his wings—and flies. He learns that all he had to do to succeed was try his best, and the more he practices, the better he gets. By the end, Peter makes himself and his parents proud. Ridgeway and Manning, both consultant clinical psychologists, previously collaborated on Joe Goes To OCD School (2018). Children who are scared to try new things can identify with Peter and appreciate that he’s never mocked for his fears but instead given solid encouragement. The book offers realistic acknowledgement that first attempts may be difficult, as when Peter soon needs to rest after his first flight, but encourages a resilient attitude. It’s also reassuring that his parents were watching all along. Urosevic, who illustrated similarly themed Chasing Scaredy Away (2020), offers varied and nicely composed pictures that combine realism with anthropomorphism.
Approachable advice for kids who lack confidence.Pub Date: April 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-80027-095-4
Page Count: 34
Publisher: CBT Books
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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