Libraries looking to add to their inclusive nonfiction offerings will find this one a winner.
A 10-year-old girl practices focusing her energy in order to earn a nickname as a boxer in this true story, accessibly told by Mach (Matteo Wants to See What’s Next, 2017, etc.) and Stroup-Rentier (MyaGrace Wants to Make Music, 2017, etc.) as part of their Finding My World series, with photographs by series collaborator Birdsell.
Claire and her mother decide to channel the child’s abundant energy by learning to box together. Their coach, Vivian, has “different sight ability” and travels with her service dog, Catcher. When Catcher’s wearing his harness, Claire knows she can’t play with him, but when it comes off, she can pet him. The book uses approachable vocabulary to depict warm-ups, shadow boxing, and using punching bags, while Claire wonders what her boxing name will be. Mach and Stroup-Rentier highlight positive strategies for self-control: Claire finds good ways to direct her energy and to refocus so she can pay attention, such as by playing with Catcher or doing a cartwheel. The story is intentionally inclusive, noting Vivian’s sight ability and Claire’s facial difference, and it delivers its messages effortlessly. Birdsell also provides action-packed photos that capture Claire’s spirit and enthusiasm. Newly independent readers will find Claire to be a sympathetic narrator.
Libraries looking to add to their inclusive nonfiction offerings will find this one a winner.Pub Date: June 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944764-67-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: Finding My World Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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