Both entertaining and thoughtful, this book is a good choice for families looking to foster a sense of social conscience.
A book of nursery rhymes for a new generation, with topical references to the world we live in.
Nursery rhymes evolved in the Western world of the 18th century, when childhood was increasingly seen as a distinct phase of life deserving of unique considerations: clothing, food, literature and entertainment. The world has continued to change since then, and Lime’s book of poetry for children, her first, attempts to keep pace. Her poems, mostly written in limerick-style verse, are outwardly simple and easily understood by young readers and listeners. There are the girl who loves shoes, the friends who encounter a bear, the boy who eats too much. But, in the back of the book, each poem also has an accompanying explanation, ostensibly directed at parents and caregivers, outlining a larger cultural significance. Sometimes, the connection between the poem and its teachable moment is strong and clear, as in the titular poem about the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and in “The King’s Dream,” about the promise of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In other instances, however, the connection is a stretch. Is the poem about girls’ love for shoes—which at least on the surface seems to propound a troubling stereotype—really about dictatorial governments, with Imelda Marcos as the fall guy? But even where some connections seem tenuous, the high-quality illustrations help connect the dots. In some cases, the author includes detailed explanations about the collaborative decision-making that informed the illustrations, demonstrating some serious thought behind the seemingly simple blending of word and image. In the end, this book is bright and engaging, easy to read and a pleasure to hold and look at—with the caveat that caregivers will either want to vet it ahead of time or be certain to enjoy it alongside the young readers in their care.
Both entertaining and thoughtful, this book is a good choice for families looking to foster a sense of social conscience.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0991036479
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Words In The Works LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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