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
Jabari succeeds, and so does this book.
Jabari works hard to build a gizmo that flies, but his best modification may be inspired by his partner.
When Jabari announces his machine will fly “all the way across” their spacious, landscaped yard, he is certain he won’t need any help. While his father gardens and his younger sister plays, Jabari builds a launch ramp, sends his machine through, and…crash! Little Nika wants in on the fun, but Jabari is “concentrating.” He takes inspiration from inventors and engineers, who use creativity and hard work to solve their problems. He plans, sketches, builds, and tries and tries again. He lets Nika help out, reluctantly at first, and when he gets so frustrated he wants to cry, he takes his father’s advice: gathering his patience and blowing away his “muddy feelings.” When he tries once more, with a clear head and support from his pint-sized partner, he discovers a change that makes his machine—and his confidence—soar. This generously sized picture book offers a lovely picture of mentorship and healthy relationships in the context of a thriving Black family with dark skin tones. Jabari’s emotional ups and downs will be familiar to young children, and his hard-won success feels triumphant. Cornwall’s clean, clear illustrations use patterns, green hues, and white space to deliver a variety of effective scenes.
Jabari succeeds, and so does this book. (Picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0716-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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