Meet Clive, a white toddler who loves to play with his toys, his accessories, and his friends.
In this title, one of a series, Clive takes tender loving care of two baby dolls, one with brown skin and the other white. He gives them a ride in a stroller, feeds them, dresses them, shows them how to use a potty, puts them to bed in a cardboard box, and finally cuddles with them in his own bed. The companion titles also demonstrate Clive’s freedom from traditional gender norms. In Clive and His Hats, the tyke plays with all sorts of headgear, including a flowery, purple hat accompanied by a lavender feather boa. He employs all sorts of luggage, such as a book bag at the library, a nurse’s bag, a sports bag full of balls, and a sleeping bag at bedtime in Clive and His Bags. And finally, in Clive and His Art, the boy explores a variety of media including painting, construction, collage, and bead threading. In each of the books, Clive plays with a diverse group of friends, including Mina, Asif, Jeffrey (who look to be of Asian, Middle Eastern, and African descent respectively), and Moshi, an endearing black cat. Spanyol’s delightful cartoons, which read as a mix of pen, ink, and cut-paper collage in muted colors and have a childlike, two-dimensional look, are clear, accessible, and joyous. While the series has a decidedly British feel, from the hero’s name to the omnipresence of paper crowns, there is nothing here to confuse North American toddlers.
In a world where toy aisles and sometimes book racks are explicitly and implicitly gendered, Clive’s love of baby dolls, frilly hats, glitter, and bags of all sorts is a breath of fresh air. (Board book. 18 mos.-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-84643-882-0
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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