Victim becomes victimizer in this tale inspired by an Armenian fable. A sparrow catches a thorn in his foot and asks a baker to remove it. She obliges and throws it in the oven. Later, the sparrow returns to ask for the thorn and, audaciously demands bread in its place. He tricks the shepherd in the same way, giving him the bread to watch and when the shepherd eats it, the sparrow demands a sheep. Flying over a wedding feast, he asks the groom to mind the sheep, but the groom feeds the wedding guests shish kabobs and the sparrow wants the bride in payment! The sparrow continues his escalation until he ends up with a lute—until, sitting on a thorny branch, he loses his footing. The lute falls, and he is as he began, with nothing but a thorn in his foot. The author notes this is based on a centuries-old Armenian tale. In Zaikina's bold, folk-style illustrations, both characters and landscape are heavily outlined in black, and the characters' dialogue is in speech balloons. Pictures are lightened with bright, textured colors (they were made with oil paint and layers of wax) and have an appealing, vigorous heft. Armenian folk attire and references to places in Armenia authenticate the tale. It's a rhythmic read-aloud beginning readers can share. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5821-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
An accessible and even fun book of useful prayers for the modern kid.
Routine activities are grounded in childlike faith demonstrated through everyday prayers and guileless optimism.
A brown-haired, beige-skinned girl with the first initial E, who readers might assume shares the name Emme with the 12-year-old author, takes them through a day of simple and sometimes profound prayers. She starts her day with prayers for the motivation to leave her warm, cozy bed, to get out the door on time, and to pay attention in school. E prays to develop her patience, honesty, gratitude, and self-discipline; she prays for her family, friends, and pets; and she even throws in a quick prayer for her favorite animal, the sloth. The author’s note reveals that the prayers were inspired by her own daily prayers and how the simple practice of praying throughout the day has brought peace. While the author may not be a household name, her parents (Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony) are, yet despite her famous family the book is endearingly down to earth. Figueroa’s cartoons depict E in a comfortable but fairly unremarkable suburban setting; readers will enjoy seeing E’s sloth-themed décor as well as dog Lady and bunnies Nibble and Skittles. The everyday activities that inspire E’s prayers are sure to resonate with many readers, as will the encouraging message to trust God with the small stuff. The full text of the traditional bedtime prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep” appears at the end. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30.3% of actual size.)
An accessible and even fun book of useful prayers for the modern kid. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12008-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Good advice and good reading practice rolled into one.
Kitten care presented early-reader style.
“Something soft and furry / Is coming home with me. // It is my new kitten. / She is as sweet as can be!” First-person, easy-reading text describes meeting the kitten, feeding the kitten, playing with the kitten, then taking it to the vet and keeping it safe. The first half of this volume is presented in rhyme with Wachter's photos of real children of various races and their kittens (always the same kitten-and-child pairings) imposed on simple cartoon backgrounds. On other pages, photos of kittens (all cute as the dickens) leaping, scratching, running, and sleeping appear against similar backgrounds. The second half reiterates the same information but in more detail. It passes on instructions in simple language for tasks like introducing a kitten to its litter box and interpreting the sounds and body language of your new furry friend. Jumping the species barrier, Biscuit creator Capucilli does a fine job of instructing young, new pet owners in the care of their wee feline friends in this companion to My First Puppy (2019). This helpful guidebook ends with a message encouraging aspiring young pet friends to adopt from shelters. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 85.7% of actual size.)
Good advice and good reading practice rolled into one. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7754-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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