A friendly, useful, and nicely illustrated guide for kids facing surgery.
A little girl feels nervous about undergoing minor surgery in this debut picture book.
Sunday, a small, pale-skinned girl with unkempt brown hair, is about to have surgery to fix a small tear in her eardrum. She’s worried but has ticked all the boxes on her checklist— everything from a packed bag to a “stomach in knots like a triple-tied shoelace.” At the hospital, she encounters unfamiliar procedures like wearing a plastic identity bracelet and getting an IV, but the nurse’s encouraging words help her to be brave. She also calms herself down with pleasant daydreams. After the operation, she’s tired and groggy for a while but soon feels like herself again, and hears better too. In her book, Harrison soothes fears by helping kids know what to expect before surgery. The story nicely balances Sunday’s anxiety with her humorous voice and active imagination. She’s encouraged to be brave but in a way that acknowledges her understandable nerves; adults are kind and reassuring. Also useful are a list of five rules for surgery, such as bringing a toy or other item, and several questions adults can use to help children talk through their fears. Crampton provides cheerful, appealingly detailed images in calming pastels that feature a diverse cast.
A friendly, useful, and nicely illustrated guide for kids facing surgery. (Questions to Ask Someone (or Yourself!) Before Surgery” [26])Pub Date: March 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73470-750-2
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Warren Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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