A humorous and practical, if oversimplified, approach to dealing with kids’ attention problems.
An easily distracted girl learns to organize her life better through checklists in this debut illustrated children’s book.
Though she’s blessed with energy, imagination, and a creative sense of fun, Riley Madison has a lot of trouble focusing. For her first day of the new school year, she had intended to organize her outfit the night before but got sidetracked—the story of her life. Now she has to throw something together at the last minute, which ends up being a superhero shirt (with cape), a pink tutu skirt, two different socks, and mismatched footwear: a tennis shoe and a cowgirl boot. Wondering whether she’ll get in trouble for talking too much instead of paying attention, Riley Madison arrives at school, where her new teacher, Ms. Phipps, hands everyone a checklist to follow. Unsurprisingly, Riley Madison immediately gets distracted and forgets all about it, but Ms. Phipps gives her another chance. To her surprise, Riley Madison discovers that checking off tasks actually works, telling her mother later: “It was like a superpower! It felt like it gave my brain and body laser focus.” The girl decides to make her own at-home checklists, which help her concentrate, giving her confidence and a feeling of success. June Akers, in her series opener, offers a hero with a funny, lively voice and comic shenanigans. At the same time, Riley Madison is aware of how her distractibility gets in the way, giving her motivation to change. Kids can easily grasp the checklist idea and how to apply it, although it’s unrealistic to expect that they will have the hero’s instant success. They may become frustrated without additional help from parents or teachers. Riley Akers, the author’s daughter, provides simple monochrome illustrations that hint at the hero’s mischievous nature.
A humorous and practical, if oversimplified, approach to dealing with kids’ attention problems.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64746-570-4
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Author Academy Elite
Review Posted Online: Feb. 20, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
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