A lyrical tale that combats bullying through compassion and teaches children how to become heroes instead of victims.
A victim of vicious bullying transforms into the school hero in McMahon’s children’s story.
Thoughtful and kind, Manny McMoose has fallen into the familiar trap of too little exercise and too many snacks. His girth makes him an easy target for the bullies at school. When new kid “Billy the Bully” arrives on the scene, Manny’s life takes a turn for the worse. Endless taunting both at school and online leads to feelings of helplessness and depression. With the prompting of a caring teacher, Manny finds an outlet for his gifts by volunteering with the school’s special needs students. As he develops strong, trusting friendships, he finally finds his voice. Written entirely in rhyming verse, this timely work is well-suited for students. Its poetic nature helps to relieve some of the tension surrounding this important subject, although some of the language—“Hey McGeek, you goofy, gay lard. / Wipe up the drool from that stupid retard!”—seems inappropriate for the book’s targeted elementary audience. Manny’s climactic confrontation with Billy is a pivotal moment. Here, Manny transforms from victim to champion by showing Billy the error of his ways, speaking with a firm confidence that should help to inspire youngsters. The author presents both sides of bullying and shows kids ways to break its cycle. The piece also gives voice to Billy and highlights the fact that bullies are often victims themselves who usually endure some form of intimidation or abuse at home.
A lyrical tale that combats bullying through compassion and teaches children how to become heroes instead of victims.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-1470130060
Page Count: 50
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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