Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, championing the power of positive outlook.
A young girl with hearing loss overcomes prejudice to make a new friend in Simmons’ picture book.
Jordyn loves school and is excited to learn that a new boy, Ben, will be joining her class. She leaves a welcome gift on his desk, but, before school starts, Jordyn encounters him on the playground and he scorns her cochlear implants—her “bionic ears.” Jordyn is upset, but her parents reassure her that she is extraordinary and that her hearing loss is a part of that. Jordyn persists in being friendly to Ben, and they bond over a shared love of planets and the solar system. Simmons, herself a deafblind audiologist, relates Jordyn’s story in simple language that captures the age of the protagonists (“I sure hope he likes my cool pencil”). The narrative, while predictable, is effective in conveying its message of inclusiveness. Marie’s illustrations employ bright, digitally rendered images to capture the world of primary-school kids. The notion that difference and impairment are aspects of individuality is reflected not only in Jordyn’s unique perspective (as in the exquisite two-page spread showing her asleep in a bubble of silence that dissipates when she wakes and puts her bionic ears on) but also in the culturally diverse range of characters—Jordyn is depicted as Black; Ben is a white redhead; the teacher, Mrs. Youssef, presents as Muslim. Throughout, Jordyn exhibits an emotional vulnerability and joy for life that all young children should relate to.
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, championing the power of positive outlook.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9798988707417
Page Count: 34
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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