by Joanna Walsh ; illustrated by Judi Abbot ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2016
I Love Mom (2014) gets its companion title from Walsh and Abbot.
Unfortunately, it suffers from problems similar to the ones that sank the first book. This time portraying dad and his child as brightly colored dinosaurs with big heads and goofy grins, the book enumerates all the ways that no one is as good as dad. “Nobody’s kisses are so bristly. / Nobody’s stubble so double-itchy.” Odd things to celebrate, particularly in a reptile, but this dad also “makes breakfast into a festival,” rides bikes with his kiddo, plays with board games and toys when it’s raining, and makes sure his child’s teeth are brushed. The text does not rhyme, which makes the wording seem especially strange and difficult for young readers to parse: “Who else gives me a feeling of being as tall as the ceiling? Better go outside where… / nobody’s shoulders could be higher, so near the sky for such a lively ride // … // Cooking with Dad’s a laugh, a blast, not half a spoonful wasted.” Abbot manages to show lots of emotion from just simple dots and lines for eyes and mouths, and it’s clear just how much this child looks up to Dad.
Better books about loving fathers and the things they do for their children abound. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6266-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Joanna Walsh
BOOK REVIEW
by Joanna Walsh ; illustrated by Joanna Walsh
BOOK REVIEW
by Joanna Walsh ; illustrated by Judi Abbot
BOOK REVIEW
by Joanna Walsh & illustrated by Judi Abbot
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2019
Even more alliterative hanky-panky from the creators of The Wonky Donkey (2010).
Operating on the principle (valid, here) that anything worth doing is worth overdoing, Smith and Cowley give their wildly popular Wonky Donkey a daughter—who, being “cute and small,” was a “dinky donkey”; having “beautiful long eyelashes” she was in consequence a “blinky dinky donkey”; and so on…and on…and on until the cumulative chorus sails past silly and ludicrous to irresistibly hysterical: “She was a stinky funky plinky-plonky winky-tinky,” etc. The repeating “Hee Haw!” chorus hardly suggests what any audience’s escalating response will be. In the illustrations the daughter sports her parent’s big, shiny eyes and winsome grin while posing in a multicolored mohawk next to a rustic boombox (“She was a punky blinky”), painting her hooves pink, crossing her rear legs to signal a need to pee (“winky-tinky inky-pinky”), demonstrating her smelliness with the help of a histrionic hummingbird, and finally cozying up to her proud, evidently single parent (there’s no sign of another) for a closing cuddle.
Should be packaged with an oxygen supply, as it will incontestably elicit uncontrollable gales of giggles. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-60083-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Doug MacLeod
BOOK REVIEW
by Doug MacLeod ; illustrated by Craig Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Osterweil and illustrated by Craig Smith
by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Meg Medina
BOOK REVIEW
by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Sonia Sánchez
BOOK REVIEW
by Meg Medina
BOOK REVIEW
by Meg Medina
© Copyright 2021 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!