Quibbles aside, an inspirational and reasonably realistic representation of the sporting world.
This easily read poetry collection represents a broad array of sports and games.
Simple rhymes and a consistent, well-paced rhythm read aloud well. Just about every sport is included, expanding from the titular activities to swimming, figure skating, ice hockey, karate, bicycling, gymnastics, tennis, and even lacrosse. Simple, flat paintings done in ink and watercolor present a diverse cast, featuring a variety of skin tones and hair textures (though no religiously specific garb), with all faces drawn with dots for eyes and simple lines denoting noses and mouths. Most of the poems reflect on the movements or goal of each sport without mentioning its name so that readers will make inferences from both the verse and the illustrations. For example, the poem about basketball is titled “Swish!” and it begins: “I dribble, / I run fast down court, / Although my legs are very short.” A foreshortened basketball about to enter the hoop is shown from the top of the net from a perspective that looks down on the player-filled court. This approach works well enough, but it does presuppose familiarity with all the sports in question. Caregivers unfamiliar with lacrosse, for instance, may not be able to help youngsters understand exactly what’s going on with “Teammates.” All sports are depicted with both male and female participants (judging from attire and hairstyle).
Quibbles aside, an inspirational and reasonably realistic representation of the sporting world. (Picture book/poetry. 5-8)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62779-349-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
Effectively soporific, though less broadly diverse in culture than casting.
Intricate cut-paper borders and figures accompany a set of sleepy-time lyrics and traditional rhymes.
Aside from “All the Pretty Little Ponies,” which is identified as “possibly African American,” the selections are a mostly Eurocentric sampling. It’s a mix of familiar anonymous rhymes (“Oh, how lovely is the evening,” “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, / Bless this bed that I lie on”) and verses from known authors, including Jane Taylor’s “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (first verse only), Robert Louis Stevenson’s “My Bed is a Boat,” and Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Seal’s Lullaby.” Melodramatic lullabies such as “Rockabye Baby” have been excluded in favor of more pacifistic poems, and in keeping with the cozy tone (though she does show one cat looming hungrily over a mouse hole), Dalton enfolds each entry in delicately detailed sprays of leaves or waves, graceful garlands of flowers, flights of butterflies, and tidy arrangements of natural or domestic items, all set against black or dark backgrounds that intensify the soft colors. A parade of young people—clad in nightclothes and diverse of facial features, hair color and texture, and skin hue—follow a childlike, white angel on the endpapers and pose drowsily throughout.
Effectively soporific, though less broadly diverse in culture than casting. (Picture book/poetry. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1673-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This posthumously published bilingual collection will be welcomed by Alarcón’s many admirers.
Set within a loose mythological framework, each poem is partnered with a day of the week, playing with its etymology in both Spanish and English.
Alarcón juxtaposes this classical imagery with a child’s limitless perspective of place. “Thursday / this day is for Jupiter / the largest planet of all / and god of thunder Thor— / like Jupiter and Thor / I feel big and mighty / on Thursday.” Daily ritual and mundane activities take on the patina of legend as time molds the character of what a family is and what it becomes. Equating the distinct characteristics of each day with the uniqueness of each family member, the poems embrace the strength of individuality while recognizing the power of the whole. “I begin to see / every day as part / of one big family // where every family / member is unique / so worthy and special.” And just as straightforward as Alarcón’s uncomplicated language and style are Gonzalez’s bold, geometric illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache, and acrylic markers. From Wednesday’s Talavera-inspired rabbit to Saturday’s Huichol-like design, the colorful double-page–spread layouts complement the poems’ simplicity. Recalling the warmth of family gatherings on the sun’s day and the joy of unstructured play on Saturn’s day, each tribute resonates with nostalgia for a time when personal interactions were done face to face.
This posthumously published bilingual collection will be welcomed by Alarcón’s many admirers. (illustrator’s note, introduction) (Picture book/poetry. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-89239-275-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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