THE GREAT HENRY HOPENDOWER

Name: THE GREAT HENRY HOPENDOWER
Author: Justin Roberts
ISBN: 978-0-399-25744-5

by Justin Roberts ; illustrated by Deborah Hocking ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017

Ultimately, however, the disconnect between the cheerful illustrations and the serious subject matter is disconcerting and...

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A young boy performs a magic trick (of a sort) in memory of his grandfather.

Henry is a smiling, round-headed, white boy who bounces out of bed one morning and decides to seek some magic. He dons a red plaid jacket, packs up a battered leather suitcase, and heads to his backyard. Along the way he chats with his mom in the kitchen and remembers time spent with his grandfather. Pulling a black top hat from his suitcase, Henry fishes about inside it for a rabbit. Initially disappointed to feel nothing at all, Henry is heartened by remembering his grandfather’s admonition that “magic is…all around.” Readers may not quite follow Henry’s logic when a rabbit still doesn’t appear, but he’s perfectly satisfied, particularly when he discovers that pancakes are on the breakfast menu. Roberts’ sophisticated text tells a bit more than it shows, and some of his descriptions may be a bit obscure (will young readers grasp that “magic-scented water” is most likely aftershave?). Hocking’s illustrations, created with watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and Photoshop, faithfully and charmingly depict the characters and action. Sepia tones indicate sections when Henry is reminiscing, and visual details fill in some of the family’s history.

Ultimately, however, the disconnect between the cheerful illustrations and the serious subject matter is disconcerting and may make it difficult for Henry to find an appreciative audience. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 6, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-399-25744-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME

by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...

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Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?

The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)