Inspiration and practical advice wrapped up in an appealing story with a relatable young hero.
A girl learns she can follow her dreams—no matter what anyone says—in this illustrated children’s book.
Simone, a Black fourth grader in Washington, D.C., wants to try out for the soccer team, but her lack of confidence is allowing others to sway her decision. Her best friend wonders if Simone will be up to the weekly practice and game schedule and suggests that her mom may have reservations about her ability to play and keep up her grades. Simone’s father seems supportive, but a boy in her class says he’s sure she wouldn’t be good at playing the sport because it isn’t her thing. And what if she does make the squad and her teammates don’t like her? Maybe she should just play it safe and forget about soccer, Simone thinks. Encouraging children to understand that peer pressure and self-doubt can hold them back from pursuing their own interests is the accessible, character-building theme here. With wise words from her parents to guide her, Simone learns that she can disregard negative voices, her own included, and base her decision on what she really wants. Readers will find inspirational words to remember as Simone repeats a mantra her mother gave her: “Run my own race…look forward to my goal and stay focused.” In addition, Bracmort gives readers a tool they can adapt for themselves when Simone remembers that her father told her to “close her eyes and visualize” the positive outcome she wants as a way to combat indecisiveness. The messages are visual as well in Marie’s unfussy, expressive digital illustrations that underscore the author’s emphasis on family and community. Pictured in Simone’s bedroom is a whiteboard with the phrases “Be Kind,” “Believe in yourself,” “Don’t give up,” and “You got this!” This is the second installment of Bracmort’s series of character-building books for grade-school readers about a likable and lively young girl learning life lessons and finding her own strengths as she grows. The series began with Simone Visits the Museum (2019)—focusing on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Inspiration and practical advice wrapped up in an appealing story with a relatable young hero. (About the Author, About the Illustrator)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0999568569
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Mayhew
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low.
Recasting Dog Man and his feline ward, Li’l Petey, as costumed superheroes, Pilkey looks East of Eden in this follow-up to Tale of Two Kitties (2017).
The Steinbeck novel’s Cain/Abel motif gets some play here, as Petey, “world’s evilest cat” and cloned Li’l Petey’s original, tries assiduously to tempt his angelic counterpart over to the dark side only to be met, ultimately at least, by Li’l Petey’s “Thou mayest.” (There are also occasional direct quotes from the novel.) But inner struggles between good and evil assume distinctly subordinate roles to riotous outer ones, as Petey repurposes robots built for a movie about the exploits of Dog Man—“the thinking man’s Rin Tin Tin”—while leading a general rush to the studio’s costume department for appropriate good guy/bad guy outfits in preparation for the climactic battle. During said battle and along the way Pilkey tucks in multiple Flip-O-Rama inserts as well as general gags. He lists no fewer than nine ways to ask “who cut the cheese?” and includes both punny chapter titles (“The Bark Knight Rises”) and nods to Hamiltonand Mary Poppins. The cartoon art, neatly and brightly colored by Garibaldi, is both as easy to read as the snappy dialogue and properly endowed with outsized sound effects, figures displaying a range of skin colors, and glimpses of underwear (even on robots).
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low. (drawing instructions) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-93518-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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