An easily accessible picture book that might be a good choice for parents struggling to get their children to try new foods,...
A mouse realizes that his dislike for cheese is just because he hasn’t found the right flavor in this debut children’s tale by author Woolford and illustrator Stumpf.
Nick, a mouse, doesn’t care for cheese, but he isn’t picky about other foods: “Carrots, peas, beans, beef, chicken, beets and corn / Had all been Nick’s favorites since the day he was born.” His mother, though, pressures him into eating cheese and even sneaks it into his food. Nick can always tell when she does this, and eventually he decides that he wants her to accept him for who he is. At this point, the book leads readers to expect that Nick is on a journey toward self-acceptance: he’s different, and that’s OK. But instead, his mother offers him a deal if he’ll try a piece of Parmesan cheese: “If you don’t like it, then my nagging is through. / I won’t beg you to eat cheese again, not even the Bleu.” Nick does so and discovers that he does indeed like it. The experience makes him turn over a new leaf, and he’s suddenly eager to try every cheese he comes across. The silly concept of a mouse who doesn’t like cheese is likely to appeal to young readers. Woolford’s poetry rhymes reasonably well, but it scans at different rhythms, making it easy to stumble over while reading aloud. Stumpf’s illustrations are cute, featuring a mix of pen-and-ink and watercolors, but the combination of humanized characters and strict geometric shapes representing cheeses sometimes feels a little awkward. (Nick’s backward red cap and supertwisty tail distinguish him in the images from the cheese-loving mice—in this case, everyone else.) A final page offers an interactive opportunity for children to draw or list a food that they’re unsure about but willing to try—a challenging combination.
An easily accessible picture book that might be a good choice for parents struggling to get their children to try new foods, even if its initial setup about self-acceptance doesn’t pan out.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-9969200-0-1
Page Count: 25
Publisher: Darn Write Publications
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2016
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
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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