Captures the simple pleasures and quiet escape of a family’s winter camping trip.
A family of three goes on a winter camping trip in this wordless picture book.
Leaving their car, two parents and a child snowshoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota while pulling sleds filled with gear. Near a frozen, snow-covered lake, they set up camp. A hot tent (with a woodstove and stovepipe) keeps the family cozy overnight. Pulling on winter gear takes several spot illustrations scattered across a spread until finally the child is ready to greet the new day. The three snowshoe across the lake and through the woods, exploring, perusing the wildlife tracks they spy, and stopping for hot drinks. On their second night, they stand outside and echo the howls of the wolves. Readers leave them that evening snuggled up by the fire. The watercolor illustrations emphasize both the remoteness of the location and the season. Blues and whites dominate the double-page spreads, with cozy yellows for warmth and light. Perspectives change to give both close-up and big-picture views, the family tiny in the wilderness. The quiet is palpable. Close observers may spy some wildlife, but the focus is on the family’s adventure, which, while some may proclaim is boring, will thrill outdoorsy families, who may rush to plan their own wintry camping trip. The child and one of the parents have brown skin; the other parent’s skin is lighter. All have dark hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Captures the simple pleasures and quiet escape of a family’s winter camping trip. (Picture book. 3-10)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5179-1292-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Univ. of Minnesota
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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