A warm celebration of creativity and self-expression.
A youngster’s imagination takes flight in Bennett’s picture book.
Lulu spots a kite outside the window and ventures outside. As the child plays with this somewhat ragged kite, it takes on many shapes and forms, taking them around the neighborhood in a game of pretend. The unassuming object becomes a pet, a train, a pirate’s hat, and much more. Lulu’s game with the kite eventually catches the attention of other curious neighborhood children, and in the end, the kite is appreciated as something beautiful: “the once-plain kite bobbed and fluttered the way a bird might, a rainbow feathered bird, as it lifted high, high, high.” Bennett’s story helps children understand the importance of creativity and freedom while challenging gender stereotypes. When the kite becomes a train, a child exclaims, “And trains are for boys. Are you a boy?” Lulu confidently responds with, “I like trains,” rejecting the assumption that interests must be tied to gender. Similarly, when asked, “Are you a boy pirate or a girl pirate?” Lulu gives a simple yet powerful answer that emphasizes individuality over labels: “Arrrgh. I am a pirate pirate!” The characters vary in skin tone and gender expression; Lulu has light skin and brown hair. Brown’s bright, boldly lined digital illustrations complement the playful tone, though occasional inconsistencies in character depictions may momentarily disrupt the narrative flow.
A warm celebration of creativity and self-expression.Pub Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781633739338
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Young Dragons
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2026
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
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
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