All sails are set and pulling in this imaginative matchup of words and pictures.
A young child uses their imagination to conjure up a boat, a sea, and an adventure. And that’s just the beginning.
The story begins with wordless illustrations showing a child (illustrated with pale skin and red hair) dragging a box to their room. “I have a box. / I want a boat,” the child states. As the child’s imagination kicks into gear, boat, rudder, sail, sea, map, and crew are all imaginatively conjured. But when a storm is asked for, things get a bit dicey. (It all ends well.) The clipped narrative delivers a sturdy bass line thrumming with appealing protagonist confidence, but it is the illustrations that make it all a resounding success. With both clarity and a confident understatement that echoes the confidence of the narrative, the full-color illustrations are presented with a fine attention to detail that enriches and deepens the story, enabling readers to use their own imaginations as they pick out what has changed illustratively and what is developing. On a broader scale, the page-by-page design also augments the theme: When the child’s imagination hasn’t yet soared, the illustrations are contained by white space on which the text is printed. As the child’s imagination takes hold, the text is included inside the boxed illustrations, and as the imagination takes over, the illustrations become full-bleed double-page spreads.
All sails are set and pulling in this imaginative matchup of words and pictures. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4715-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, grooving snapshot of urban life where kids create the fun and beckon everybody in.
A high-energy ode to double Dutch and summer days of fun.
It’s a sizzling morning, and when one freckle-faced, curly-haired, tan-skinned kid yells, “Jump in!” kids of every hue and size come running with balls, with jump-ropes, and with arms and legs ready for moving. When the “Double Dutch divas,” the Delancy twins, arrive to jump-rope, their long cornrows go flying as they “Jump over, jump under” and “spin ’round.” Next, long-legged basketballer Leroy Jones, with a frohawk and fiery moves, twirls a ball on one finger then jumps in with hip-hop acrobatics…until hip-swinging Ms. Mabel tosses Leroy her purse and exhausts the jump-rope turners with her “funky wiggle” and her cartwheel in the ropes. Lots of neighbors, including the reverend, join in, and the jumping joy permeates the day as Strickland’s free-verse poetry turns this tale into a singable jump-rope rhyme. When a skateboard-loving youngster finally joins in after homework’s all done, the child takes their dog and board into the ropes. Strickland’s innovative low-angle and bird’s-eye views and gatefolds that open in various directions give readers expansive vantage points for this day of participatory play, while her colorful and highly textured digitally rendered illustrations, inspired by the Italian futurists, effectively capture the heat, verve, and energy of the city. This city community is a diverse one; most of the named characters present as Black.
A moving, grooving snapshot of urban life where kids create the fun and beckon everybody in. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-61963-580-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Gives new meaning to the notion that every dog—or pup—has its day.
A young girl learns that plans that go awry need not spoil the day.
Ollie has ambitious intentions for dog sitting Milo, her grandmother’s puppy, but those plans are spoiled when he chews up her drawing, a gift intended for Grandma when she returns from visiting friends. The girl scolds the little dog and then takes some time to herself, leaving him behind and walking farther and farther away from home in order to cool off. But as the illustrations show, Milo is never far behind, surreptitiously trailing her all the way through the woods. Ollie reflects on the part she played in the drawing’s destruction, since she knew better than to leave it unguarded on the floor, and she regrets getting mad at the dog. When she finally stops and wishes for company, the loyal pup is right nearby. They spend their day frolicking in the woods, playing fetch, splashing in mud puddles, and hunting for treasure as pirates. When they return home, she still has time to draw another picture or two. Accessible text with relatable, appealing characters helps the message of adaptability go down smoothly. The charming artwork features various shades of gray as well as pink and red spot color, often in heart shapes. Ollie, who has skin the white of the page, wears a dog costume throughout the story. Her experience demonstrates that things can work out just fine, even when they weren’t what you had in mind.
Gives new meaning to the notion that every dog—or pup—has its day. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781665965903
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
