A princess learns the importance of not being perfect in this picture book.
Princess Hippopotamus feels a lot of pressure to be perfect. She wants to grow up to be a good queen, and the only way she thinks she’ll accomplish this is by becoming a model princess. She studies hard; she practices public speaking. She embroiders, even though she’s not sure what that has to do with being a monarch. Her troublemaking brothers invite her on their adventures, but she wouldn’t dare cause a ruckus. One day, she finds her two brothers throwing water balloons from the tallest tower. But instead of behaving impeccably, she makes a surprising choice: She hurls a water balloon. When her balloon falls on Uncle Tutu’s new hat, it’s a disaster, and she flees. But her father convinces her that, while she deserves punishment for ruining the hat, she doesn’t have to always be perfect—because her mother wasn’t, and she became a good queen. The book’s layout could better balance the text and images of Otto’s (Blueberry, 2016, etc.) original princess tale. But for kids who feel a lot of pressure not to make errors, Princess Hippopotamus’ panic will likely resonate, and the comfort from her father should be reassuring. The hippos are amusing, both in the pictures and text, and their oversize shapes should have readers giggling. Debut illustrator Korniienko’s cartoon images, which feature a comically Disney flair, are sure to appeal.
This clever tale’s theme—that perfection isn’t important—is a significant one for kids who are afraid to make mistakes.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-977621-90-0
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mead-Hill
Review Posted Online: Jan. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
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
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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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
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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