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IF YOU MISS ME

Name: IF YOU MISS ME
Author: Jocelyn Li Langrand
ISBN: 978-1-338-68069-0

by Jocelyn Li Langrand ; illustrated by Jocelyn Li Langrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 7, 2021

A simple exploration of intergenerational love that lasts beyond the passing of a grandparent.

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The moon is a symbol of the special, long-lasting bond between a young dancer and her grandmother.

All day Charlie dances, in class and all over town, and Grandma is there to watch. At night, the pair dances together and makes wishes on the moon. When Charlie moves to the city, Grandma tells her, “If you miss me, look at the moon. I will do the same.” Grandma visits, and the two talk on the phone—but then Grandma dies. Charlie is lost, but she keeps dancing. On the night of the biggest recital of the year, the moon shines through the theater window, and Charlie knows that Grandma is there dancing with her. The illustrations, relying heavily on vibrant greens, supportive neutrals, and inviting textures, mirror Charlie’s emotional journey through the passing of the seasons. Charlie’s love of dance is evident throughout, especially in joyful illustrations showing a wide range of dancing styles, including classical ballet, showy tap, traditional Asian dances, and jazzy ballroom. Charlie and Grandma appear to be Asian, with light tan skin and black hair. The spare, descriptive third-person narration follows a linear plot. The message about the moon creating connection is prematurely revealed midway through the story, somewhat diminishing Charlie’s recital night epiphany. Nevertheless, for readers experiencing the loss of a loved one, the message will ring true.

A simple exploration of intergenerational love that lasts beyond the passing of a grandparent. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-338-68069-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
YEAR OF THE CAT
by Richard Ho ; illustrated by Jocelyn Li Langrand

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)