Whether used as a read-aloud or a bridge between early readers and chapter books, a serene treat.
An agreeable young girl named Pinny enjoys her version of a perfect day near the sea.
Four extremely short chapters—generously illustrated with richly textured artwork—divide the tale, starting with “Pinny” and ending with “Pinny Has a Party.” The blonde, white girl skips along the shore, looking for a “wishing rock.” She accepts a skinned knee with equanimity, as it leads her to “the most perfect wishing rock she had ever seen.” Her contentment in solitude is matched by delight in her friends, a child with East Asian features and a white redhead. The three children enjoy blueberrying and cloud-gazing until a summer rain hastens them to their homes, with a promise of blueberry cake at Pinny’s home later that day. A sea gull enters and re-enters this gentle tale, in which adult humans are, happily, neither seen nor heard. Any children who have spent time in nature will relish the story, as will fans of such classics as One Morning in Maine. When a potentially dark moment arises in the final chapter, Pinny’s gracious, optimistic personality immediately turns clouds into sunshine. The tone of the book is sweet and reassuring, and the art perfectly catches the joy of pleasant, unstructured time. Particularly lovely: Pinny dancing around her kitchen upon completion of her blueberry cake.
Whether used as a read-aloud or a bridge between early readers and chapter books, a serene treat. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-55498-782-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children.
On hot summer nights, Amani’s parents permit her to go outside and play in the apartment courtyard, where the breeze is cool and her friends are waiting.
The children jump rope to the sounds of music as it floats through a neighbor’s window, gaze at stars in the night sky, and play hide-and-seek in the moonlight. It is in the moonlight that Amani and her friends are themselves found by the moon, and it illumines the many shades of their skin, which vary from light tan to deep brown. In a world where darkness often evokes ideas of evil or fear, this book is a celebration of things that are dark and beautiful—like a child’s dark skin and the night in which she plays. The lines “Show everyone else how to embrace the night like you. Teach them how to be a night-owning girl like you” are as much an appeal for her to love and appreciate her dark skin as they are the exhortation for Amani to enjoy the night. There is a sense of security that flows throughout this book. The courtyard is safe and homelike. The moon, like an additional parent, seems to be watching the children from the sky. The charming full-bleed illustrations, done in washes of mostly deep blues and greens, make this a wonderful bedtime story.
Vital messages of self-love for darker-skinned children. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-55271-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands.
Berkner’s children’s song gets the picture-book treatment with illustrations from Garoche.
What kid hasn’t made a massive pillow fort and imagined all sorts of adventures? Well, Berkner’s premise is that there is a land where everything is made of pillows, and three lucky children get to visit there. (They appear to be siblings, perhaps a blended family: Mom and one girl are black; Dad, one boy, and one girl are white.) The illustrations transition between depictions of obvious imaginative play in a bedroom to a fantasy world and back again at the end, when the parents peek in at the three asleep. Garoche’s art consists of photos of papercut artwork arranged in dioramas with some Photoshop details. Reminiscent of Michael Garland’s work (though more pastel in color) or that of Elly McKay (though less ethereal), the illustrations are a mixed bag, with layers and hard edges juxtaposed against all the pillows. The king and queen of the song are obviously stand-ins for the parents. Children who know the tune may not sit still for a reading, while those who don’t may wonder at the repeated refrain.
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6467-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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