A bright affirmation of self-love and a potent reminder that comparison is the thief of joy.
A crow sees the error of his ways and is reminded what true happiness is in this contemporary fable.
Crow lives a life of contentment until he spots a dove high up in a tree. While admiring her beauty and lovely cooing, his self-esteem plummets. He suddenly dislikes his “dull” feathers and loud cawing. “You must be the happiest bird alive,” he tells Dove. But he’s surprised to learn that she envies Nightingale’s singing, which “makes my cooing sound plain.” Crow seeks Nightingale to confirm that it is the happiest bird in the world, but Nightingale is jealous of Rooster’s life. And so it goes as Crow visits Rooster, Swan, and Peacock—discovering along the way that each is jealous of another bird’s attributes. The textured, full-bleed illustrations offer plenty of visual variety with a pleasing palette that is filled with bright colors, including sunny yellows, pinks, and lavenders; spring greens; and warm shades of blue. All of this boosts the story’s cheery subtext. (At one point, the sun is depicted with a smiling face, and the peacock is imagined sitting in a circle of literal jewels to which his feathers are compared in the text.) When the caged Peacock reveals he envies the freedom enjoyed by crows, Crow once again feels content. Readers may even be prompted to ponder their own special traits.
A bright affirmation of self-love and a potent reminder that comparison is the thief of joy. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5568-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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