A likable volume with a message of empowerment for young children, wrapped in a gentle fish tale.
A timid little fish named Pax finds the key to confidence in this debut picture book.
In a simple setting inspired by Seneca Lake (in upstate New York), rendered in round shapes and soft colors, Mama Perch encourages her young offspring, Pax, to join the fun at a nearby waterfall. But Pax, shyly “hiding in the waterweeds,” feels too self-conscious about his swimming prowess to venture out, especially if he thinks that anyone is watching. His mother reminds him of an important phrase—“Aww, Fishsticks”—that “Pampy” (not identified, but Pax’s absent father, perhaps) would say to himself as a mantra for bravery when he felt fearful. Pax sets out for the waterfall but soon forgets his reassuring chant when all of the creatures that he encounters—assorted swimming fish, a leaping fawn, a paddling beaver, a buzzing bee, a soaring butterfly, and more—offer warnings and advice. Even their compliments throw Pax off because they remind him that he’s being observed. (A nice comic touch: three conflicting observations about Pax’s chances for success delivered by a “Smiling Frog,” a “Doubting Frog,” and a “Frowning Frog.”) What are the words that will help Pax concentrate on himself instead of on what others have to say? He can’t remember. Is it “Aww, Bubbles?” “Aww, Tadpoles?” “Aww, Minnows?” When the right words come back to him, Pax swims “like he never swam before,” realizing that “It’s what I think that matters!” The lively illustrations, along with text designed graphically for visual interest and written with wordplay to be shared and repeated (“swish,” “glub,” “buzz,” “flip,” “flap”), frame this unsubtle message with sunny appeal. The author and her collaborative illustrator add a mild layer of engagement with a seek-and-find activity: children can look for illustrations throughout the pages that match silhouettes of a squirrel, a ladybug, a leaf, a raccoon, and a bear. The book ends with photographs of the real-life flora and fauna that are featured in the story.
A likable volume with a message of empowerment for young children, wrapped in a gentle fish tale.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9966498-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Siphre Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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