Book need grammar.
A bear makes a den a home.
Written in what might be described as stereotypical caveman speech, the halting, sparse text describes an anthropomorphic bear’s ongoing efforts to set up housekeeping. At first the bear’s alone in a barren den dug out of a hillside, having presumably followed instructions from a book entitled How Make Den. Initially satisfied with the cave, the bear soon realizes that the “den need…” many things. Quite the handy-bear, ideas and tools help produce furniture and, later, food, because all the hard work leads to a rumbling tummy: “Bear need…cake!” Satiated but bored, the bear decides, “Den need… / game.” Ultimately, all of the steps toward making the den a home make the bear want to share it with others, so “DEN NEED BEARS!” and attracts a bevy of ursine friends to make merry at book’s end. Joyner’s ink drawings with digital color are appealing in their humorous depictions of the industrious, jovial protagonist bear, and their achievement ultimately outshines the text. It’s one thing to have a spare text but quite another to have one that doesn’t seem to have a reason for its unorthodox, halting phrasing.
Book need grammar. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9061-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
Gently encourages empathy, compassion, and consideration.
How will you behave tomorrow?
Utilizing the same format and concept of her popular Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave (2018), Hische presents young listeners with short, studied rhymes that describe various positive attributes (being helpful, patient, gentle, honest, generous, graceful, and kind). Also included are kid-friendly ways to incorporate these behaviors into daily life, with the underlying goal of making the world a better place. The illustrations, which feature friends in the forms of a mouse, cat, and rabbit, are colorful and appealing, and they extend the text by showing some additional ways of realizing the characteristics mentioned. Overall, the intentions are aboveboard, but this is a volume intended to teach about positive values and behavior, and as such, it comes across as somewhat treacly and proselytizing. The key words, incorporated into the illustrations in a graphic manner, are sometimes a bit difficult to read, and occasionally, select vocabulary and phrases (“to myself I will be true”; “my heart, my guiding light”) seem better suited for an older readership. Still, as an introduction to personality characteristics, beneficial behaviors, and social-emotional skills, this is a solid choice, and fans of the previous volume are likely to embrace this one as well. “I’ll dream of all the good that comes / when we all just do our best,” the text explains—a sentiment that’s hard to rebut.
Gently encourages empathy, compassion, and consideration. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-8704-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spot-on series installment that imparts a valuable lesson on the importance of honesty.
Will Llama Llama come clean after breaking one of Mama’s prized possessions?
While Mama Llama gardens outdoors, Llama Llama and a friend who appears to be a young goat play inside. Their boisterous activities include pillow fighting, running up the stairs and sliding down the bannister, swinging from lamps, and jumping on the sofa—fun that is possible “Only when Mama is not there.” They move on to playing catch: Llama Llama throws vigorously, and the ball shatters Mama’s favorite picture frame. Uh-oh. What to do? The pair consider running to Kalamazoo. When Mama returns, Llama Llama first blames the wind, then a dinosaur, then a meteorite. Mama doubts these possibilities, and Llama Llama cries but admits to the lie. Mama praises his courage, and the three of them repair the frame. Later, throwing a pass outside, Mama breaks a window herself! With humor and sympathy, this tale brings to life a very common experience that will resonate with preschoolers. Mama reacts with model parenting, and Llama Llama quickly accepts the blame and the necessity of truth-telling. Morrow’s illustrations add both drama and a reassuring note. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A spot-on series installment that imparts a valuable lesson on the importance of honesty. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780593352489
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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