Purportedly for kids, but adults will find their share here as well.
Songs for singing around a campfire—or anywhere, with s’mores!
Loeb makes no pretense to hide her fondness for summer camp. Her previous children’s album (Camp Lisa, 2008) contained many camp favorites, while her non-profit, The Camp Lisa Foundation, helps underprivileged kids experience the joy of sleeping under the stars. Here, Loeb offers a songbook to go along with her musical adventures. Comprised of four original songs and six camp standards, each tune has the lyrics playfully displayed. Loeb includes small introductions (often camp memories), activities, recipes and hand motions to act out. With swirls aplenty and florid script, O’Rourke creates a decidedly mod interior. A Hanna-Barbera–esque Loeb, complete with cat's-eye glasses, is front and center. Children will bop to the snappy beat of "I’m a Little Coconut" and delight in the topsy-turvy "Opposite Day." And who doesn’t like to croon the (seemingly) endless "Found a Peanut"? Nostalgic reminiscences join inventive, musical songwriting in this inclusive package.
Purportedly for kids, but adults will find their share here as well. (author's note, CD) (Nonfiction. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6915-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
An accessible introduction to coding rules that also easily entertains.
A girl named Pearl programs a (rust-proof) robot to help her build sand castles in this new addition to the Girls Who Code organization’s book program.
The last day of summer vacation is Pearl’s last chance to build a sand castle. All her prior attempts have fallen victim to comic mishaps (such as a “moat” contributed by dog Ada Puglace). For backup, she brings her robot, Pascal, with whom she breaks down the full task—building the sand castle—into small problems: finding a place to build via specific instructions, gathering sand via a sequence (and more efficiently with a loop), and decorating the castle via an IF-THEN-ELSE statement. After she works out the kinks, the oncoming tide throws Pearl for a new loop—literally, as she reuses her previous computer code while adding a moat feature to handle the tide. The cheerful mixed-media illustrations and warm color palette fit both the subject matter and the can-do spirit of the book. The computer science terms are demonstrated in clear, concise ways, allowing them to be mined for humor (such as Pascal’s attempts to place the sand castle in unsuitable places until Pearl learns to be very specific), and serve the story without feeling obtrusive or too much like lessons. The backmatter gives fuller explanations of the terms. Pearl has brown skin and textured, black pigtails, and the other beachgoers are racially diverse.
An accessible introduction to coding rules that also easily entertains. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-425-29198-6
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality.
A young White boy shares his secret talent with his classmates for the first time.
An unnamed, unidentified narrator, clearly one of the titular protagonist’s schoolmates, explains that every week at Friday Assembly, one student gets to perform for the whole school, an activity called “Sharing Gifts.” Once, Tina played her tuba; another time, Jessie did some magic; Carol delivered a stand-up routine. Now it’s John’s turn, and boy does he look nervous. In short, declarative sentences the text describes John’s preparations for his act. Once on stage, he hesitates as some kids laugh at the musical track accompanying his performance—“strings, violins and things, and then maybe flutes”—then it’s showtime. A succession of wordless, double-page spreads uses continuous narration to showcase the various poses and steps of John’s glorious ballet recital. His facial expression and body language morph as fear gives way to a joyful sense of accomplishment. Young readers will love John’s classmates’ reactions at the ending. Berube’s simple ink-and-paint illustrations have minimal background details, allowing readers to focus squarely on John and his emotions. It is truly wonderful to see a boy character in a children’s book so enthusiastic about, and accomplished at, ballet. Any child, though, who has a talent to share or struggles with performance anxiety will find a role model in John. The children are nicely diverse racially. Their teachers present White.
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0395-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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