A barbed-wire fence separates two communities—one ocher and one blue, each needing something the other has in abundance.
The blue folk have a well on their side with much water. The ocher folk have an oven with plenty of bread. But when the ocher side runs out of water, the blue side will not share. The water is on their land; it belongs to them. This compels the same response when the blue side runs out of bread. Luckily, the younger generation thinks this is ridiculous. They happily share through the fence and wonder, “Why are our parents like this?” When green strangers arrive, a new portion of fence is erected to divide the land further. The green folk have nothing to offer, and the bread and water are kept guarded by adults. But still, the children share. Optimistic readers will hope the fence will be torn down in the end, but it stands strong—showing how much work society still has to do. Wobbly, unrestricted lines create these elongated, scribbled characters. Even the barbed wire seems springy and looped, not menacing, though the important message is not lost in frivolity. Kids can bring about change, regardless of previous generations’ ideas. This Spanish import was published in Europe in collaboration with Amnesty International, and a portion of its sales will go toward protecting human rights worldwide.
Empowering in its simplicity. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-84-945971-3-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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A recovering curmudgeon narrates life lessons in the latest entry in the punny Food Group series.
Grape wasn’t always sour, as they explain in this origin story. Grape’s arc starts with an idyllic childhood within “a close-knit bunch” in a community of “about three thousand.” The sweet-to-sour switch begins when Grape plans an elaborate birthday party to which no one shows up. Going from “sweet” to “bitter,” “snappy,” and, finally, “sour,” Grape “scowled so much that my face got all squishy.” Minor grudges become major. An aha moment occurs when a run of bad luck makes Grape three hours late for a meetup with best friend Lenny, who’s just as acidic as Grape. After the irate lemon storms off, Grape recognizes their own behavior in Lenny. Alone, Grape begins to enjoy the charms of a lovely evening. Once home, the fruit browses through a box of memorabilia, discovering that the old birthday party invitation provided the wrong date! “I realized nobody’s perfect. Not even me.” Remaining pages reverse the downturn as Grape observes that minor setbacks are easily weathered when the emphasis is on talking, listening, and working things out. Oswald’s signature illustrations depict Grape and company with big eyes and tiny limbs. The best sight gag occurs early: Grape’s grandparents are depicted as elegant raisins. The lessons are as valuable as in previous outings, and kids won’t mind the slight preachiness. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sweet, good-hearted fun. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-304541-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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