Kids who are ill here on Earth may be entertained by this look at one alien’s cold and his family’s attempts to make him...
Think you have a bad cold? How much worse would it be if your anatomy included two throats, three noses, and five ears?!
Little Alien’s parents and pet try to help him feel better in ways that will seem both familiar and out-of-this-world to earthling readers. When his son’s throats are sore, Daddy Alien zooms off in his spaceship and returns with a Milky Way milkshake. “Granny Alien’s Famous Shooting-Star Ear Drops” are just the ticket for earaches. And when Little Alien complains of his stuffy noses, Daddy Alien calls in the “lunar decongestants,” a trio of little green creatures who carry what might be construed as instruments of torture, especially considering the reactions of Little Alien and Mars Rover. A cool meteor shower for his fever and a settling into bed, and all seems set for sleep…except for the sneeze. Mars Rover can’t take seeing his friend so sick, and so he pulls out all the stops to make Little Alien feel better. Campbell’s pen, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations keep the focus on the central action, though there are enough tantalizing details of the alien world to whet readers’ appetites. Mama Alien is pink, Daddy’s blue, and their son is green. All are expressive.
Kids who are ill here on Earth may be entertained by this look at one alien’s cold and his family’s attempts to make him feel better. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6502-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.
What can you do when things go wrong?
Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures.
Pippa conquers a fear of the creatures that emerge from her storybooks at night.
Pippa’s “wonderfully wild imagination” can sometimes run “a little TOO wild.” During the day, she wears her “armor” and is a force to be reckoned with. But in bed at night, Pippa worries about “villains and monsters and beasts.” Sharp-toothed and -taloned shadows, dragons, and pirates emerge from her storybooks like genies from a bottle, just to scare her. Pippa flees to her parents’ room only to be brought back time and again. Finally, Pippa decides that she “needs a plan” to “get rid of them once and for all.” She decides to slip a written invitation into every book, and that night, they all come out. She tries subduing them with a lasso, an eye patch, and a sombrero, but she is defeated. Next, she tries “sashes and sequins and bows,” throwing the fashion pieces on the monsters, who…“begin to pose and primp and preen.” After that success, their fashion show becomes a nightly ritual. Clever Pippa’s transformation from scared victim of her own imagination to leader of the monster pack feels fairly sudden, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. The cartoony illustrations effectively use dynamic strokes, shadow, and light to capture action on the page and the feeling of Pippa's fears taking over her real space. Pippa and her parents are brown-skinned with curls of various textures.
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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