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NEW SHOES FOR SILVIA

Name: NEW SHOES FOR SILVIA
Author: Johanna Hurwitz
ISBN: 0-688-05286-X

by Johanna Hurwitz & illustrated by Jerry Pinkney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1993

Just right.

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"Far away in another America," little Silvia receives a treasured gift from Tia Rosita (who's in the US)—fine red shoes, too big for her to wear.

While she grows into them, Silvia uses the shoes as beds for her dolls, or to keep the shells she and her grandparents find at the beach. Pinkney's watercolors add many details: Tia Rosita has also sent a large book; Mama is expecting—and by the time the shoes fit, there's a new baby. Skillfully, Hurwitz uses a narrative device of sure concern to small children—growing into clothes—to tie together her upbeat depiction of rural life in another culture. Pinkney's illustrations are beautifully observed; Silvia's extended family is warm, loving, and glowing with life, while the impressionistically rendered tropical setting is lush and lovely.

Just right. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-688-05286-X

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
DOUBLE OR NOTHING WITH THE TWO AND ONLY KELLY TWINS
by Johanna Hurwitz ; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TWO AND ONLY KELLY TWINS
by Johanna Hurwitz ; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

- BOOK REVIEW
I FOOLED YOU
edited by Johanna Hurwitz

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COUNT DOWN TO FALL

by Fran Hawk and illustrated by Sherry Neidigh ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2009

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Beginning with the number ten, Hawk’s verses count down different tree leaves/seeds in all their fall glory. “Nine dogwood leaves / bright shining scarlet, / drifting down, down, down— / like the tail of a comet.” While the text is problematic—there are rhyme and scansion issues and one page does not name the tree featured at all—Neidigh’s illustrations do not disappoint. Detailed borders include close-up views of the bark of each tree while corners depict the whole tree, the leaves (both summer and fall colors) and the seeds. Woodland animals round out each spread, in which readers can count the leaves. Most are very clear, but extra objects may occasionally confuse readers. Backmatter gives readers a chance to test their knowledge of plant parts, categorize leaves according to their shape, match summer and fall leaves and learn how people and animals use some of the trees featured in the text. The visual details make this a delight to the eye, but unfortunately the verses are not music to the ear. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 10, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-934359-94-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sylvan Dell

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE H.L. HUNLEY SUBMARINE
by Fran Hawk ; illustrated by Monica Wyrick

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SONG IN THE CITY

by Daniel Bernstrom ; illustrated by Jenin Mohammed ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022

An eye-catching, toe-tapping celebration of the melodies in everyday sounds.

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A blind girl endeavors to share her musical perception of city sounds.

When Emmalene and Grandma Jean set out one Sunday, Emmalene rejoices at the “busy city symphony” that surrounds them as Bernstrom imbues his rhythmically rhyming text with exuberant onomatopoeia. There’s the “RUMBLE” of the bus, the “BIPPITY-BOP!” of a nearby marching band, and the “tippity-tapping” of the wind. But to impatient Grandma Jean, the sounds are mere “commotion”; for her, music is the church choir’s “loud and joyous” song. When Emmalene becomes frustrated that Grandma Jean doesn’t understand, Grandma Jean valiantly tries to hear from her perspective. But only after Emmalene covers Grandma Jean’s eyes does Grandma Jean finally hear her song; in kaleidoscopically colored text against black background, “acorns ticked. A backhoe WRECKED. A truck HARRUMPHED. And birds peck-pecked.” Emmalene and a tearful Grandma Jean embrace, and together they listen to the city’s “CLAPPING / FLAPPING / tippity-tapping” tune. Mohammed’s bright, bold illustrations vividly animate the bustling city, and Emmalene’s and Grandma Jean’s expressions are endearing; their love is palpable. Though Grandma Jean’s poignant epiphany echoes the trope of a disabled character imparting a lesson to a nondisabled character, the potentially off-key note is offset by the heartwarming portrayal of Emmalene and her grandma’s intergenerational bonding. Grandma Jean and Emmalene present Black with light- and dark-brown skin respectively. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An eye-catching, toe-tapping celebration of the melodies in everyday sounds. (Picture book. 4-7)