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
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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