When a boy reads a book about birds, his imagination takes flight. Multicolored acrylic paintings on bright, spare backgrounds narrow the focus straight to the boy and his dreams of taking wing with some colorful feathered friends. When asked, the boy’s father explains that the boy can’t fly because he doesn’t have wings—he has arms and hands instead. More “why” questions follow, resulting in the boy being hugged, swung and tossed, until he soars through the air with the help of his father. The minimal, dialogue-only text works well, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the illustrations and perhaps add some description of their own. Sitting together in an armchair, the boy and his father then embark on a new reading selection about fish. Questions about fins seem sure to follow! An engaging and effective father-son story in which the main characters are black and race is not presented as an issue, this is a charming introduction to the worlds of books, birds and imagination, and an apt choice for parent-child reading. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-56145-430-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2009
PLB 0-517-70967-8 Me And My Family Tree (32 pp.; $13.00; PLB $14.99; May; 0-517-70966-X; PLB 0-517-70967-8): For children who are naturally curious about the people who care for them (most make inquiries into family relationships at an early age), Sweeney explains, with the assistance of a young narrator, the concept of a family tree. Photographs become understandable once the young girl learns the relationships among family members; she wonders what her own family tree will look like when she marries and has children. A larger message comes at the end of this story: not only does she have a family tree, but so does everyone in the world. Cable’s drawings clearly define the process of creating a family tree; she provides a blank tree so children can start on their own geneaology.(Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-517-70966-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The joy of cooking—and family—brought to brilliant life.
James Beard Award–winning chef Smalls, acclaimed author and editor Millner, and celebrated illustrator Morrison team up for an ode to Sunday dinner.
After church each week, young Alexander’s whole family gathers on the porch for a sumptuous feast. To prepare, this tightknit Black family crowds into the kitchen on Saturday night; Alexander helps his mother peel eggs, shred cheese, and shell pecans. He also gathers garden-fresh ingredients with his grandfather, who reminds him, “Water and patience—that’s all anything living needs to grow.” But what Alexander wants most of all is to contribute something of his very own—something his often-preoccupied father will love. When Alexander cooks franks and beans one Saturday evening after the meal prep, his creation is so tasty that Mom tells him to whip up a dessert with which to grace the table that Sunday. Highlighting a young boy’s entree into the culinary arts, this delightful tale frames cooking as an important rite of passage—and a way to cement familial bonds. Smalls and Millner’s pitch-perfect dialogue imbues the various characters with life. Relying on his signature oil paintings, Morrison adds energy and verve; he captures Alexander’s nervousness in an especially captivating close-up of Dad gazing at the child’s lemon icebox pie, one eyebrow raised. Dad’s appreciative smile and words (“That’s some good pie”) say it all.
The joy of cooking—and family—brought to brilliant life. (recipe for lemon icebox pie) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781534488724
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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