Mythical beast versus pragmatic parents—with somewhat expected results.
A unicorn has arrived for dinner, having apparently eaten Mom and Dad’s daughter, Elizabeth (not for the first time). Rude, ungainly, and temperamental, the unicorn tracks prints around the house and exhibits appalling table manners. Dad and Mom, initially irritated, eventually tame this wild beast and even tuck it into bed with a teddy bear. Parents may smile in recognition at the rather obvious ending of this preachy tale. Kids might recognize themselves in this enormous creature that can’t control its temper and feels generally misunderstood; however, the final metamorphosis has little explanation or catalyst, and the story’s perspective seems very parent-oriented. There’s no explanation why the unicorn is so upset; rather, the parents must figure out how to handle this situation as calmly and positively as possible. That seems unhelpful for both children and caregivers who need emotional guidance. Cornwall’s illustrations, done in muted earth tones save for the pink unicorn, do nothing to enliven the flat story, a stark contrast to the vibrancy and emotional range evident in her debut, Jabari Jumps (2017). Furthermore, she uses paper-bag skin tones for this family of color, even giving Mom nearly the same skin tone as that of the woodwork.
Disappointing and preachy, with illustrations that leave little to readers’ imaginations. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-31040-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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In this deceptively spare, very beginning reader, a girl assembles a robot and then treats it like a slave until it goes on strike.
Having put the robot together from a jumble of loose parts, the budding engineer issues an increasingly peremptory series of rhymed orders— “Throw, Bot. / Row, Bot”—that turn from playful activities like chasing bubbles in the yard to tasks like hoeing the garden, mowing the lawn and towing her around in a wagon. Jung crafts a robot with riveted edges, big googly eyes and a smile that turns down in stages to a scowl as the work is piled on. At last, the exhausted robot plops itself down, then in response to its tormentor’s angry “Don’t say no, Bot!” stomps off in a huff. In one to four spacious, sequential panels per spread, Jung develops both the plotline and the emotional conflict using smoothly modeled cartoon figures against monochromatic or minimally detailed backgrounds. The child’s commands, confined in small dialogue balloons, are rhymed until her repentant “Come on home, Bot” breaks the pattern but leads to a more equitable division of labor at the end.
A straightforward tale of conflict and reconciliation for newly emergent readers? Not exactly, which raises it above the rest. (Easy reader. 4-6)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87083-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Drawing on lyrics from her Mormon children’s hymn of the same title, Pearson explores diversity and acceptance in a more secular context.
Addressing people of varying ages, races, origins, and abilities in forced rhymes that omit the original version’s references to Jesus, various speakers describe how they—unlike “some people”—will “show [their] love for” their fellow humans. “If you don’t talk as most people do / some people talk and laugh at you,” a child tells a tongue-tied classmate. “But I won’t! / I won’t! / I’ll talk with you / and giggle too. / That’s how I’ll show my love for you.” Unfortunately, many speakers’ actions feel vague and rather patronizing even as they aim to include and reassure. “I know you bring such interesting things,” a wheelchair user says, welcoming a family “born far, far away” who arrives at the airport; the adults wear Islamic clothing. As pink- and brown-skinned worshipers join a solitary brown-skinned person who somehow “[doesn’t] pray as some people pray” on a church pew, a smiling, pink-skinned worshiper’s declaration that “we’re all, I see, one family” raises echoes of the problematic assertion, “I don’t see color.” The speakers’ exclamations of “But I won’t!” after noting others’ prejudiced behavior reads more as self-congratulation than promise of inclusion. Sanders’ geometric, doll-like human figures are cheery but stiff, and the text’s bold, uppercase typeface switches jarringly to cursive for the refrain, “That’s how I’ll show my love for you.” Characters’ complexions include paper-white, yellow, pink, and brown.
An unfortunately simplistic delivery of a well-intentioned message. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4236-5395-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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