An engaging, well-illustrated invitation to look at the world from a different—and higher—angle.
A young girl discovers how a drone can enhance her photography skills in this series-starting picture book by debut author Purdy and illustrator Rodella-Purdy (The Little Gray Squirrel, 2019, etc.).
Leah is frustrated that she can’t seem to win the monthly photo contest at her local library. She loves finding new and different angles to capture images. Inspired by flying birds, she attempts to take pictures of things from above, using a number of tools with underwhelming results, before she buys a drone. She names it “Leonardo,” after Leonardo da Vinci, and experiments with flying it until she becomes confident in her skills. She then selects her favorite new drone-assisted photo for the contest. Readers will be unsurprised by Leah’s victory, but parents are more likely to appreciate how Leah devotes herself to practicing her craft. Purdy’s present-tense narration lends immediacy to Leah’s experiments, and the straightforward vocabulary and sentence structure will encourage independent reading. Rodella-Purdy’s cartoonlike digital images effectively capture Leah’s inventive problem-solving paired with her successful and failed photos. QR codes (not tested) offer readers a chance to see more drone photos online. A text introduction to drone technology is included at the end of the book.
An engaging, well-illustrated invitation to look at the world from a different—and higher—angle.Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9996842-4-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Creative Cat Media
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Very young gardeners will need more information, but for certain picky eaters, the suggested strategy just might work.
A young spinach hater becomes a spinach lover after she has to grow her own in a class garden.
Unable to trade away the seed packet she gets from her teacher for tomatoes, cukes or anything else more palatable, Sylvia reluctantly plants and nurtures a pot of the despised veggie then transplants it outside in early spring. By the end of school, only the plot’s lettuce, radishes and spinach are actually ready to eat (talk about a badly designed class project!)—and Sylvia, once she nerves herself to take a nibble, discovers that the stuff is “not bad.” She brings home an armful and enjoys it from then on in every dish: “And that was the summer Sylvia Spivens said yes to spinach.” Raff uses unlined brushwork to give her simple cartoon illustrations a pleasantly freehand, airy look, and though Pryor skips over the (literally, for spinach) gritty details in both the story and an afterword, she does cover gardening basics in a simple and encouraging way.
Very young gardeners will need more information, but for certain picky eaters, the suggested strategy just might work. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9836615-1-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Readers to Eaters
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012
A simple story about consent that provides solid and useful information.
A boy learns about giving and receiving consent for physical affection with family and friends in this debut picture book.
Finn, a young white boy, attends a party with a diverse group of relatives and friends. Some of them want—or might expect—a kiss or hug. In each case, he’s able to choose what he prefers: A kiss on the cheek from Grandpa is OK, for example, but he’s not in the mood for a hug from Grandma. Finn’s parents provide reminders to adults and encouragement to their son, which helps him speak up for himself. The book suggests alternatives to kissing/hugging, like a high-five or fist bump, but adds: “Maybe” Finn “doesn’t want to be touched at all. It’s his choice what happens to his body.” Later, Finn asks to hold his best friend Ru’s hand, adding that saying no is OK. Nearly all children’s books about physical affection assume that kids want hugs and kisses. Morrison provides a valuable service for children and their parents in her tale by showing how consent works and what good boundaries look like. The advice falls in line with today’s parenting experts, who recommend that kids not be forced into unwanted touching; the volume also includes worthwhile discussion questions for older children and caregivers. The illustrations by Orlove (Shrine: Volume II, 2016, etc.) aren’t very creative, often reusing Finn’s face and body with minor changes, but they help to demonstrate the concepts.
A simple story about consent that provides solid and useful information.Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9998908-0-6
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Phonics with Finn
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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