Joyful and memorable.
A whimsical homage to imaginary play and friendship.
The child narrator, who has light brown skin and wavy dark hair, proclaims, “I am a meadow mermaid.” This tot is a creative, playful sort who dreams of visiting the sea. Despite living on landlocked plains, the meadow mermaid splashes in puddles, cavorts through “waves in the wheat,” and, wearing a blanket that evokes a mermaid tail, uses a seashell to listen to sounds of the ocean. Pairing well with the lyrical text, the illustrations, photographs of cut-paper dioramas, have a three-dimensional quality, the overall warm palette punctuated by the blue of the sky and, in many spreads, the child’s denim overalls. It’s a happy, solitary existence (except for a pet cat who appears on various spreads) until midway through, when text reads, “I listen for the music of a mermaid a million miles away and hear the shout of a…shipwrecked sailor?” The meadow mermaid encounters Milla, a child who has light skin and a blond ponytail. The children are immediate playmates, searching for treasure, gazing at “seahorses” (horses), eating “cookies shaped like sand dollars,” and becoming fast friends. An immensely satisfying conclusion reveals that Milla is “a prairie pirate.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Joyful and memorable. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780735271371
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
A validating and comforting look at big emotions.
The first day of school overflows with feelings.
Children starting school experience conflicting emotions; the racially diverse youngsters in this book are no different. Throughout, they exhibit excitement, nervousness, fear, happiness, and anxiety. Sobel acknowledges these universal emotions, which stand out on the page in colorful capitals letters: “EMBARRASSED! / Oops! Paint in my hair!” “Hello HAPPY soaring by. / A joyful bird loves to fly.” Lively digital illustrations depict a variety of realistic school scenarios: a child having a meltdown after breaking a pencil and losing a folder; children excitedly playing at recess. The author makes clear that we all experience a range of feelings and that our emotions matter; she also acknowledges that feelings depend on circumstances. The illustrations provide jumping-off points for discussion, so grown-ups reading this book aloud should encourage youngsters to talk about how starting school—or navigating any new life experiences—made them feel and what events triggered the feelings. Helpful backmatter includes questions that adults can ask kids as they read. The author includes comforting, mindful messages: Breathe deeply when you’re upset, don’t be afraid to try new things, and “take time out” when angry. Perhaps most reassuring: “Feelings are not right or wrong. / They find a spot where they belong.”
A validating and comforting look at big emotions. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9780063265783
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for...
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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