Empathetic, informative, and fun.
A little girl with diabetes just wants to play in Lockwood’s picture book.
Katie has wavy light brown hair and fair skin. Before Katie can play hide-and-seek with the other kids in the park, her mom says: “Put the receiver in your pocket, and if you beep, get your diabetes supplies from my bag.” While her mom waits on a park bench nearby, Katie joins her friends, but when she goes to hide, her receiver beeps. Rather than following mom’s instructions, Katie keeps playing—and beeping. Katie’s friend Olivia carries a puppy dog backpack, and when they hide together, Olivia retrieves her asthma inhaler from the bag and takes a puff. Katie is inspired by her friend’s independence, and when her mom finds her, Katie apologizes for worrying her and asks if she might have her own backpack to keep her diabetes supplies on hand. Sall’s watercolor and pencil cartoon illustrations show Katie hiding and beeping while the other kids search; the images fortify the theme of Katie concealing her diabetes until she finds a friend with whom she can relate. Delightfully, it’s Katie and Olivia’s laughter about their respective conditions that gets them caught in the end (not the beeping). The prose uses short, simple sentences in the form of dialogue, Katie’s inner thoughts, and third person narration set around the illustrations. The effect is a truly immersive read that kids with and without chronic medical conditions can enjoy.
Empathetic, informative, and fun.Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781964836126
Page Count: 31
Publisher: Acorn Cottage Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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