Though this board book isn’t especially innovative, it’s unquestionably warmhearted.
A short and cozy lift-the-flap book catalogs ways families welcome and care for new babies.
Addressing young listeners directly, a declarative sentence on the verso states how the narrator cared for “you” as an infant: “We wrapped you in a snuggly…” reads one, while the answer of “blanket” hides under a blanket-shaped flap. After listing various items a baby needs to thrive, a final fold-out page shows doting adults giving babies the most important thing of all: love. Sweetness abounds, from the familiar cheery Katz art, with heart-shaped lips and oversized heads, cuddly, doll-like babies, and lively, colorful patterns that decorate the flaps and pages. All the pages feature different family constellations, and the diverse male and female caregivers appear nurturing and warm. The use of the phrase “when you came home” is inclusive of adoptive and foster as well as birth families. What’s mystifying is its designation as a “lift-the-flap-book for new babies,” as the text refers to infancy as past, and new babies don’t make guesses or handle flaps. Toddlers preparing for a sibling may enjoy this title and will appreciate the book’s interactivity. Small glimpses of the answers will help cue toddlers, though some of the terms (a “bassinet” as opposed to a crib; a “baby bottle” in a home accustomed to breastfeeding) may be difficult for some viewers to guess.
Though this board book isn’t especially innovative, it’s unquestionably warmhearted. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3071-6
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
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)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A beautiful, moving mythological adventure.
In a world based on Greek mythology, a 12-year-old aspires to be a Ferryer of the dead but gets off track when she meets a Living girl who’s found her way into the Underworld.
All Senka knows is her existence on an island in the middle of the Acheron River, “smack between the realm of the Living and the realm of the Dead,” where she’s the ward of Charon, the Ferryer of souls. Her teacher is an enormous raven named Mortimer. After Senka, who presents white, learns the Rules for Ferryers, Charon agrees to her repeated requests and starts training her to become a Ferryer. But when an emergency leads to Senka’s being left alone, she disobeys Charon’s explicit orders, takes the boat out on her own—and quickly learns that ferrying souls is far more complicated than she realized. She encounters dark-haired, brown-skinned Poppy, whose “edges are crisp”—she’s a Living girl who will sacrifice anything to find Joey, her younger brother who died. As Senka tries to convince Poppy to return to the Shore of the Living, the two get stuck in the Underwild, a “lawless place where chaos reigns” that’s filled with innumerable dangers and shrouded in secrets. Senka’s lively first-person narration relates the unexpected friendship that forms through her shared adventures with Poppy as they face mortality and the unknown. Debut author Targosz offers readers a meaningful exploration of grief and its impact on those left behind.
A beautiful, moving mythological adventure. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781665957632
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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