The soft cadence makes this sweetly illustrated poem a good choice for bedtime reading.
A debut picture book celebrates parental love.
A parent narrator begins this tale, addressed to a child, with an unspecified wish that savvy readers will understand is a longing for a baby. When the infant arrives, the narrator says, “Some things in life are meant to be. / Your little heart called out to me.” The joy the narrator feels is expressed as winning the love lottery of the title, which Darling cleverly illustrates as tickets with hearts on them, tucked into the pockets of the parents or held by the child as the youngster grows from a baby to a toddler to a somewhat older kid. Applauding happiness and expressing that unexpected obstacles should be met with “resilience and love,” the poem dominantly focuses on the huge feelings of love the parent has for the child, “however you came to be.” Huggins’ intentional inclusivity of children who may have been adopted or fostered is a lovely feature; the poetic stanzas mostly scan well, with a few clunky phrases (“this I know”). Darling’s cartoon images, which feature a pale-skinned family, are beautifully designed, reminiscent of Mary Engelbreit’s style. Although the vocabulary is accessible, the lettering, which frequently uses cursive, is likely to stump younger independent readers who have only learned to read print.
The soft cadence makes this sweetly illustrated poem a good choice for bedtime reading.Pub Date: June 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73420-291-5
Page Count: 39
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes.
Another entry in the how-much-I-love-you genre.
The opening spread shows a blue elephant-and-child pair, the child atop the adult, white hearts arcing between their uplifted trunks: “You’re a gift and a blessing in every way. / I love you more each and every day.” From there, the adult elephant goes on to tell the child how they are loved more than all sorts of things, some rhyming better than others: “I love you more than all the spaghetti served in Rome, // and more than each and every dog loves her bone.” More than stars, fireflies, “all the languages spoken in the world,” “all the dancers that have ever twirled,” all the kisses ever given and miles ever driven, “all the adventures you have ahead,” and “all the peanut butter and jelly spread on bread!” Representative of all the world’s languages are “I love you” in several languages (with no pronunciation help): English, Sioux, French, German, Swahili, Spanish, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Arabic (these two last in Roman characters only). Bold colors and simple illustrations with no distracting details keep readers’ focus on the main ideas. Dashed lines give the artwork (and at least one word on every spread) the look of 2-D sewn toys.
So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8398-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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