FRUITS IN SUITS

Name: FRUITS IN SUITS
Author: Jared Chapman
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2298-1

by Jared Chapman ; illustrated by Jared Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2017

These fruits do not make a large enough splash in the pool; for the best fruit in the basket, check out the old favorite,...

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Chapman (Vegetables in Underwear, 2015) is back with digital illustrations featuring anthropomorphic fruits.

The front endpapers identify each fruit by name (pineapple, grapefruit, cherry, apple, etc.) as it stands fully clothed, looking uncomfortable, especially a squalling baby pomegranate; the rear endpapers show the same fruits looking comfortable and happy in their swimsuits. Most of the vividly colored fruits shown are common and familiar, and most of them are wearing swimsuits (both the boy and girl kind), but although the all-caps text points out that “there are all kinds of suits,” it does not identify any of them by name, just by style or function. Oddly, there is not any mention of the word “swimsuit.” The cheerful strawberry narrator, wearing a red-and-green polka-dot swimsuit, explains to the grapefruit wearing a business suit that “If you want to go swimming you need a suit.” Although the picture of the baby pomegranate swimming in her “birthday suit” will elicit some giggles, kids may find it difficult to differentiate between a suit “for sunbathing” and a suit “for the shade” (for the shade?), a suit “for scuba” and a suit “for surfing” when worn by a brightly colored cartoon fruit with stick arms and legs.

These fruits do not make a large enough splash in the pool; for the best fruit in the basket, check out the old favorite, Sexton Freymann and Joost Elffers’ How Are You Peeling? (2004). (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 11, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4197-2298-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams Appleseed

Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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SEALS ARE JERKS!
by Jared Chapman ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

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THE TIDAL POOL OF COOL
by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

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I AM NOT A DOG TOY
by Ethan T. Berlin ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

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I AM A PEACEFUL GOLDFISH

by Shoshana Chaim ; illustrated by Lori Joy Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2021

A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.

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What can you do when things go wrong?

Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.

A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 13, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)