A droll tale with a simple message.
A little girl’s neglected belly button takes off on an adventure.
Grace, a cute, quickly sketched girl with tawny skin and a straight black pageboy, excels at getting dirty, but she is also pretty good at getting clean. Most of her body parts get attention in the bath, but not Belly Button. So one day, an unbearably filthy Belly Button decides that she has had enough. She detaches and races out the door! A round figure sporting a haircut like Grace’s and sticks for arms and legs, Belly Button charges into the great unknown. She finds a way to get herself clean but also runs into some unexpected excitement, getting both lost and dirty again. Unsurprisingly, she has a change of heart. Both Belly Button and Grace have a renewed appreciation for each other in the end, but the sly final page reminds readers of yet another unwashed body part….While the story is amusing and the illustrations appealing, the overall experience has little heft. As a reminder to children to wash all their body parts in the bath it works, but without a stronger element of friendship and adventure, it feels a bit thin. Charming depictions of Grace and Belly Button, with their rough outlines and dot eyes, are counterbalanced by a few confusing spreads without enough textual support. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 27% of actual size.)
A droll tale with a simple message. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20284-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded.
U said it!
The diminutive lowercase letters attending Ms. Bracket’s School for Little Letters, located in New York City, embark on a “Find Yourself Field Trip” and observe letters everywhere—on signs, on T-shirts, and more. When personable U, the story’s protagonist, talks to a letter in a book at the New York Public Library, she realizes how powerful and important letters and words are; a discussion with a letter on a sculpture spelling out the word hope inspires optimism. When it’s her turn to share her field-trip experiences, U recaps her conversations and the lessons learned, namely, be yourself, or, in U’s case, be U. Her decision about who to be when she grows up should please readers, though the heavy-handed lead-up to that conclusion may confound them. The story is cute, though a bit thin, with a lofty message that may go over kids’ heads. However, the humorous, inventive illustrations are appealing, with playful use of typography and fonts; many colored images are pleasingly set against monochromatic line drawings. The adorable, exuberant student letters and teacher have spindly limbs, dots for eyes, and small, curved mouths. Ms. Bracket, who resembles a squiggly, yellow piece of pasta, wears a “hair” adornment. Children may be spurred to take part in their own creative lettering activities—collages for example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-38502-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Indeed, no one will be able to resist this baby.
Baby is so charming that various vendors in this West African market gift him all sorts of yummies.
Baby rides on Mama’s back, held snug by a bright cloth wrap. Mama navigates the busy, colorful outdoor market, her woven basket balanced on her head. The text unrolls rhythmically in Atinuke’s storyteller’s voice: “Market is very crowded. Baby is very curious. Baby is so curious that Mrs. Ade, the banana seller, gives Baby six bananas.” Baby eats one and puts the remaining bananas in Mama’s basket. All the while Mama shops, unbeknownst to her, vendors continue to respond to Baby’s transparent delight with five oranges, four “sugary chin-chin biscuits,” three “roasted sweet corn,” and two pieces of coconut. With each delicacy given, Baby eats one and puts the rest in the basket. When Mama sees all the extra foodstuffs she didn’t buy, she’s concerned, until the vendors reassure her: “We gave those things to Baby!” In her debut picture book, Brooksbank offers bright, bustling tableaux of shoppers, vendors, and goods. The smiling, all-black cast sort through myriad wares, while the text keeps up its rhythm, introducing both typical items bought in a West African market and a gentle lesson in arithmetic as Baby alternately snacks on and stashes his gifts.
Indeed, no one will be able to resist this baby. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9570-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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