A heavy-handed, already-dated attempt to explain a well-documented experience
If you didn’t know by now that boys sometimes wear skirts, this picture book will explain that again.
Felix likes wearing skirts. After all, “I can run faster and climb more easily.” But not everyone is comfortable with his choice. The plot is so well-worn that it hardly warrants description: First he wants to wear skirts, then people are mean to him. The plodding, artless text follows Felix as he goes from victimization to grudging acceptance. “Real boys don’t wear dresses. Why don’t you go play with someone else…,” say his classmates. And “ ‘That’s inappropriate,’ the other parents whispered to each other. ‘What kind of parent allows his child to do something like that?’ ” Then his dad decides to wear a skirt, too, and Felix feels better about going back to school. The story concludes with “From that day on no one asked if he was a boy or a girl. They simply called him Felix,” an apparent (and misguided) attempt at supporting a boy who seems clear enough about his gender identity. The art is strangely retro, depicting very little outside of characters’ expressions of joy, sadness, or discomfort, and the text doesn’t utilize structure or pacing to lend interest or artistry to the story. Felix is a white boy, as are most of the other people depicted, though one classmate wears hijab.
A heavy-handed, already-dated attempt to explain a well-documented experience . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-988-8341-58-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones.
What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?
Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry—your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else—like a chicken—to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton’s signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book’s important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-48679-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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