A beautiful and thoughtful message woven into a brief yet poignant story.
Daniel becomes curious about his parents’ mysterious early morning outings.
After observing his parents carrying boxes in the snow on several occasions, Daniel asks his mother and his older siblings, Ezra and Leah. He’s told that his parents “went out and about.” Not satisfied with this vague answer, Daniel is determined to discover the truth, but after overhearing a conversation between his neighbor Mrs. Cohen, who recently lost her job, and his mother, he realizes that his parents have been secretly leaving the Cohens food and other necessities before the weekly Shabbat observance. Daniel remembers a time when his grandmother was ill and a box of treats was left on the family’s porch without a card; his mother explained, “Surprise acts of kindness are the best.” The Maimonides quote that opens the book—“Giving is most blessed when the donor remains completely anonymous”—feels particularly fitting now as Daniel joins his father early the next morning, carrying a box to the Cohens’ porch with a simple note: “Shabbat Shalom.” Though simple, the story imparts an important lesson, one that young people will easily pick up on. Soft, lovely illustrations depict an observant Jewish home with several Judaic objects prominently displayed amid snowy winter suburban scenes. The author’s note explains that Maimonides was a 12th-century rabbi known for his “eight levels of Tzedakah,” or giving. Characters are tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A beautiful and thoughtful message woven into a brief yet poignant story. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798986396545
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kalaniot Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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