A beautifully illustrated celebration of human differences.
In Nestor’s picture book, a young girl learns to accept her differences and to celebrate her uniqueness.
One morning, Jane, who has tan skin and curly brown hair, wakes, eats breakfast, puts on her glasses, and grabs her bag. However, just as she leaves for school, she becomes nervous and stalls. At school, shy Jane feels unaccepted by her peers and holds back her questions. Her mother then comforts her, encouraging her to celebrate what makes her unique (“what makes you different makes you beautiful”), but on the bus, a miserable boy named Eric forces her to move away from the group. In that moment, Jane launches into a daydream about the Jungle of Individuality. After a visit to the jungle and a swim in the Waterfall of Strength, Jane accepts her uniqueness. In this heartwarming book, Nestor effectively conveys what it’s like to feel different. The stunning illustrations by Mikki use a warm color palette to beautifully show emotion and establish a sense of place. The images are particularly apt at depicting the genuine warmth and acceptance Jane experiences at home—the cat and Jane’s mother mirror each other’s pained expressions when Jane begs to stay. The text’s ideas are rich, and the observation that much mean behavior is rooted in other people’s issues is insightful; however, readers may wish that the Jungle of Individuality was a more nuanced conceit less focused on alliteration and assonance.
A beautifully illustrated celebration of human differences.Pub Date: July 29, 2024
ISBN: 9798350953602
Page Count: 40
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
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