A touching tribute to the pain of losing a loved one—and the joys of honoring them.
A young Latine girl and her family prepare for a Día de los Muertos celebration.
Julieta had a special bond with Abuelita, who has recently died. Día de los Muertos is approaching, and Julieta and her family will add mementos to the ofrenda, an altar with offerings for ancestors. Julieta wants to find a special gift for Abuelita that will let her spirit know that she is dearly missed. But her attempts at weaving a flower crown and folding an origami bird just don’t work. Julieta becomes nervous: What if she doesn’t have anything to place on the ofrenda in time for the holiday? Then she thinks about the times when she and Abuelita were happiest and remembers that they shared their biggest smiles when they were dancing together. She brings out her dancing shoes, dress, lace fan, and hair combs—shelved since Abuelita’s passing—and dances for the family. Julieta feels her grandmother’s presence and knows that she and Abuelita will always stay connected. Ríos Ramírez speaks to the complex emotions surrounding loss, while Palacios’ earth-toned illustrations, made with gouache, cut paper, and Photoshop, have a quietly intimate feeling. Her textured backgrounds are immersive, while the characters are wonderfully expressive. Young readers experiencing their own grief will see themselves in Julieta and her desire to remember Abuelita.
A touching tribute to the pain of losing a loved one—and the joys of honoring them. (author’s note, glossary, ofrenda guide) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780593568361
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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