Migs is nervous about his first day of school, but will his solution to shyness help him make friends?
Hodgkinson’s spot-on rhythms and rhymes keep the story moving as Migs and his Mum walk to school. “She hugs him tight, she waves goodbye. / Migs is trying not to cry.” Once in the classroom, he hides behind the “Dressing Up” box, wishing he weren’t so shy, then gets an idea. “He finds a hat, a cape, some boots. / He feels so brave in this new suit.” But Mighty Migs is a little too mighty for his classmates. The supermouse interrupts a puppet show, destroys Newt’s train track and then spills water all over Rokko’s painting. A swipe of a cloth, tape and glue fail to fix it, though, and after Rokko sharply dismisses him, Migs sulks in the corner, hiding, until he gets a brilliant idea for making it up to the wronged rabbit. Not only does his plan work, but Migs seems to be over his shyness—rather quick turnarounds. While the message of atoning for wrongdoing is a clear one, readers may not be as creative as Migs with their solutions. Bright cartoon illustrations bring Migs’ classroom to life, as well as the emotions writ large upon the animals’ faces.
From the endpapers labeling Migs’ classmates, readers may infer that more titles are forthcoming—it’ll be nice to see more of this agreeable crew. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4677-5014-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
A child struggles with the worry and anxiety that come with an unexpected problem.
In a wonderful balance of text and pictures, the team responsible for What Do You Do With an Idea (2014) returns with another book inspiring children to feel good about themselves. A child frets about a problem that won’t go away: “I wished it would just disappear. I tried everything I could to hide from it. I even found ways to disguise myself. But it still found me.” The spare, direct narrative is accompanied by soft gray illustrations in pencil and watercolor. The sepia-toned figure of the child is set apart from the background and surrounded by lots of white space, visually isolating the problem, which is depicted as a purple storm cloud looming overhead. Color is added bit by bit as the storm cloud grows and its color becomes more saturated. With a backpack and umbrella, the child tries to escape the problem while the storm swirls, awash with compass points scattered across the pages. The pages brighten into splashes of yellow as the child decides to tackle the problem head-on and finds that it holds promise for unlooked-for opportunity.
A straightforward, effective approach to helping children cope with one of life’s commonplace yet emotionally fraught situations, this belongs on the shelf alongside Molly Bang’s Sophie books. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-943-20000-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Young Jabari decides today is the day he is going to jump from the diving board, even though it’s a little high and a little scary.
Jabari’s father and baby sister accompany him to the swimming pool in the city, where Jabari has already made up his mind about today’s goal: jumping off the diving board. “I’m a great jumper,” he says, “so I’m not scared at all.” But that’s not entirely true. Readers see Jabari play the waiting game as the other children (a diverse bunch) make their ways past him in line. Once Jabari finally begins to climb up, he slyly remembers that he forgot to “stretch.” The stalling techniques don’t faze his dad, who sees an opportunity for a life lesson. “It’s okay to feel a little scared,” offers his dad at the side of the pool. With renewed will, Jabari returns to the towering diving board, ready to embrace the feat. In her debut, Cornwall places her loving black family at the center, coloring the swimming pool and park beyond in minty hues and adding whimsy with digitally collaged newspaper for skyscrapers. A bird’s-eye view of Jabari’s toes clinging to the edge of the diving board as he looks way, way down at the blue pool below puts readers in his head and in the action.
This simple and sincere tale of working up courage to face fears makes quite a splash. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 9, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7838-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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