Blatantly Disney-esque young princesses with flowing hair, huge eyes and fancy gowns are the linchpin of this new series designed to make the parables Jesus used understandable to today’s little girls. Each story in the series focuses on one princess from a family of five sisters (Grace, Joy, Faith, Charity and Hope) being raised by their understanding and indulgent single father, the king. In this story, Princess Grace and her sisters adopt five kittens, and Grace’s chosen kitten runs away and is later found hiding in the woods. There isn’t much plot, though the long-for-the-format text is told in a relentlessly high-energy if stilted manner. Interestingly, there is no religious content to the story other than a reference to a whispered prayer just before Princess Grace finds her kitten. A concluding page speaking directly to the reader explains the connection between the story and the parable of the lost sheep and is followed by the relevant text from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament. The second title in the Princess Parables series is Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessings. Clearly aimed right at the marketing sweet spot, the presentation, with its emphasis on frills and flounces, seems sadly at odds with the homespun simplicity of its putative foundation. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71640-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
The now-classic tale’s humor still fosters eye-rolling laughter, with Wohnoutka’s illustrations as rib-tickling complement.
A well-used trope of misidentification allows a village elder to innocently open her home to a possible predator with humorous, even endearing results.
Despite her advanced age of 97 and her poor eyesight and hearing, Bubba Brayna “still [makes] the best potato latkes in the village.” When Old Bear is awakened from his winter sleep by the savory aroma of frying latkes and comes to her door, Bubba Brayna invites him in for a fresh batch, mistaking the bear’s rotund girth and bushy face for the heavy-set bearded rabbi’s. Heading straight for the kitchen, the growling bear is encouraged to play dreidel with nuts he chooses to eat, then devours all the latkes with jam like any hungry bear would. Sleepy and satisfied, he leaves with a gift of a red woolen scarf around his neck. After some investigating by the crowd that has gathered at Bubba Brayna’s door, which includes the actual rabbi, a new batch of potatoes are brought from the cellar, and with everyone’s help, Bubba Brayna hosts a happy Hanukkah. This newly illustrated version of The Chanukkah Guest, illustrated by Giora Carmi (1990), is a softer rendition, with acrylic paints and curved lines in tints of yellow, brown and green for warm, earthy atmosphere.
The now-classic tale’s humor still fosters eye-rolling laughter, with Wohnoutka’s illustrations as rib-tickling complement. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2855-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
This Mother’s Day tale is rather limited in its audience to those who can afford fancy brunch after their own religious...
The Berenstains’ son adds a Mother’s Day entry to the series, continuing the adventures of the Bear family with a religious focus.
Brother, Sister, and Honey want to do something special for Mama for Mother’s Day, and Papa helps them think of just the thing—brunch at the Bear Country Inn after church—and they can invite Grizzly Gran, too. On the ride to church, Mama points out all the ways other families are celebrating their own mothers even though these community helpers are working on the holiday: Officer Marguerite’s children bring her flowers as she directs traffic, and Mrs. Ben’s children are pitching in with farm chores. Indeed, the trip to church is eye-opening for the cubs, who never realized that some of their neighbors even had children. During the church service, Preacher Brown thanks God for the gift of mothers and quotes the Bible: “Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches.” While the illustrations are the same as ever (the smiling bears haven’t aged a bit!), the series seems to have moved away from addressing a variety of families.
This Mother’s Day tale is rather limited in its audience to those who can afford fancy brunch after their own religious services, contrary to its apparent message that being together is all that matters. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-310-74869-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
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