Visually dynamic; textually functional.
An Israeli painter can’t muster inspiration for his job, but he gets unexpected help.
The mayor wants Shmulik to paint a mural and decorate the town park for Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Holding his stylized, curvy arms so his hands meet at his chin, Shmulik looks honored and humbled. His studio’s a cheerful mess of paintings—on the floor, on an easel, propped behind sinks—and one dog bed holding a smiling, white, long-snouted dachshund. Each day, Shmulik means to begin the public-art project; each day, he lacks inspiration and looks at the clouds or buys a challah instead. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Shmulik, Ezra the wiggly dachshund—wearing orange-rimmed glasses and a diamond-patterned sweater—is hard at work. Ezra completes the project, and the fest is a success. Though Rose’s text is little better than workmanlike, Echeverri playfully offsets color (Shmulik’s multicolored, daub-textured jacket; his rosy pink cheeks; Ezra’s paint everywhere) with black and white (a softly nubbed gray rug; plants; Shmulik’s pants and hat). One face on the finished mural is brown, though the entire festival crowd is white. A shop sign in Hebrew and the mayor’s Hebrew thank you to Shmulik place the town in Israel. Rose never explains Yom Ha’Atzmaut; the holiday is simply present as a premise, implying an audience familiar with Israeli culture and history.
Visually dynamic; textually functional. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4677-5239-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations.
Bergren and Bryant attempt to explain Easter to young children in a gentle, nonthreatening manner, with partial success.
When Little Cub questions her father about Easter, Papa Bear explains the religious significance of the holiday in various symbolic ways to his cub. He uses familiar things from their world, such as an egg and a fallen tree, to draw parallels with aspects of the Christian story. Papa Bear discusses his close relationships with Jesus and God, encouraging Little Cub to communicate with God on her own. The theme focuses on the renewal of life and the positive aspects of loving God and Jesus. Easter is presented as a celebration of eternal life, but the story skirts the issue of the crucifixion entirely. Some adults will find this an inadequate or even dishonest approach to the Easter story, but others will appreciate the calm and soothing text as a way to begin to understand a difficult subject. Bryant’s charming watercolor illustrations of the polar bear family, their cozy home and snowy forest scenes add to the overall mellow effect.
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations. (Religion/picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-73072-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
An upbeat holiday tale marred by spotty logic.
An unusual Hanukkah miracle.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Ruthie’s parents give her a pair of holiday-themed “pajamakkahs.” Dad says that she can wear them to the family’s “Hanukkah Pajamakkah Party” on the eighth night. Ruthie wants to wear them “all eight nights.” Mom agrees but tells her to keep them “spotless.” Despite Ruthie’s precautions, she accrues myriad stains as she helps cook latkes, lights the menorah, does arts and crafts, and crashes into a pile of jelly doughnuts. But there are no spots here, says Ruthie—just “streaks,” “splotches,” “sparkles,” and “squishes.” On the final night of Hanukkah, the whole family and even the dog sport pajamakkahs of their own. Mom’s aghast at Ruthie’s pj’s. Dad says it’s a miracle they lasted eight nights, but he sees spots. “Dotted, not spotted,” Ruthie counters. Other, racially diverse, pajama-clad family members arrive. Ruthie twirls the dreidel and, inexplicably, causes a whirlwind, upending latkes, art supplies, and more. Are those spots on Ruthie’s pajamakkahs at last? Finally, Ruthie says, “a Hanukkah miracle!” This thinly plotted, only mildly amusing story is rife with logical holes. Even the youngest readers won’t believe Ruthie’s parents didn’t insist the badly soiled pj’s should get tossed in the washer sooner. It isn’t clear what’s so miraculous about Ruthie’s dirty jammies, and the child’s literalness wears thin. The cheerful, digitally created illustrations feature familiar Hanukkah symbols but are otherwise undistinguished. Ruthie and her immediate family are pale-skinned.
An upbeat holiday tale marred by spotty logic. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781728284576
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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