Captures a mother’s love simply and effectively.
Mothers express their love in many ways.
As the sun rises, a child narrator describes their day with Mom: “We start our day / with a kiss.” “Mommy buttons, zips, and snaps.” “Through the market, holding hands / Stop at all our favorite stands.” Throughout, illustrations feature a variety of mothers and children. The day ends with a mom tucking a child into bed, “Love you always and forever.” On each spread, the verso features text set against a solid background, accompanied by an image on the recto. The artwork emphasizes the mother’s focus on her child, thin pencil-like lines carefully outlining facial expressions. Parent-child love is familiar subject matter for books aimed at toddlers, but this one offers a more diverse and inclusive representation of moms than that seen in previous books. One tan-skinned mom wears a hijab, another is East Asian, and another presents as Black. Mothers and children of color are spotlighted throughout, including on the front cover. The rhyming text makes for a quality read-aloud for a toddler and really showcases the care tasks of parenthood that ultimately speak to deep love. Though bookshelves are crowded with similar titles, this one is worth making room for. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Captures a mother’s love simply and effectively. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781338359770
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An unabashedly idealized but nevertheless wholehearted hymn to grandmotherhood (Picture book. 2-4)
The arrival of a new grandchild is joyously celebrated in this grandmotherly ode to their new life together.
Tenderhearted affection is displayed through the softly hued watercolors of furry, cuddly rabbits and is combined with gushing verse recited by one delighted grandmother bunny to her sweet and innocent grandbaby. “The moment I saw you, / I fell in love, / Honey, my bunny, / my sweet turtledove. // Wiggling and giggling, / you captured my heart. / I loved you so much, dear, / right from the start.” Love at first sight deepens as the pages turn, becoming that special relationship of mutual devotion unique to a grandmother and grandchild. While this displays no shortage of greeting-card syrup in its sentiment, its gentleness will make for nice initial read-aloud sessions for the intended audience and an appropriately thoughtful gift from any new grandma to grandchild (as blank lines for inscription, a “special letter” to the grandchild and a picture of grandmother and grandchild attest).
An unabashedly idealized but nevertheless wholehearted hymn to grandmotherhood (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58536-836-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little train lovers will be happy to travel along as this choo-choo rumbles along the tracks. (Picture book. 2-4)
An exciting train trip from his suburban town to the big city for a visit with grandma proves to be enlightening for a young boy.
This small child, dangling feet from his perch on the station bench, lunch bag in hand, experiences the thrill of traveling alone. His day begins with a warm greeting from a blue-uniformed conductor and continues with the “all aboard” whistle, the rush of the train’s mounting speed felt from a window seat, the special treat of being let into the engineer’s car to “sound the whistle” and the grand view of the approaching star-filled city skyline. Finally, the day-long trip culminates with his grandmother’s welcoming hug at the station. Gouache, Disney-esque cartoon drawings in understated colors provide a cheery, cherubic, wide-eyed cast of characters—complete with a rounded frontal view of a “little engine that could” smiling face. It's definitely a nostalgic view of a contemporary adventure. How many young children would be permitted to travel alone these days? The succinct, rhyming text is created with sentences of no more than two to four words each, which gives an appropriately trainlike rhythm to the narrative and supports emergent literacy skills in toddlers.
Little train lovers will be happy to travel along as this choo-choo rumbles along the tracks. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4231-1837-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2011
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