by Marie Harris ; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2013
An engaging look at a fascinating difference in perception, for younger readers
A little girl with synesthesia engages the world with all five senses, plus.
Little Jillian is thoroughly in touch with her senses, relishing the taste of maple syrup on waffles and the smell of wet grass. But what she loves most are the colors that all the sounds she hears make. The bark of a dog is red, and the tinkle of her bicycle bell is silver. She loves school as wholeheartedly as everything else—her teacher’s voice is green—but when a lunchbox crashes to the floor and Jillian calls it yellow, all the children begin to laugh at her—a sad, black sound. When Music Day rolls around and all the children play, Jillian is overwhelmed by all the colors she hears. Fortunately the visiting musician is also a synesthete, so he understands exactly what she means and explains it to everybody. While the tidiness of Jillian’s resolution strains credulity, the exploration of her unusual perception charms. Brantley-Newton’s digitally composed illustrations present a ponytailed, freckle-faced little girl who greets the world with verve. Her teacher has a particularly groovy hairstyle (though it’s a little odd to see it repeated on both the musician and one of the little boys in Jillian’s class). A brief author’s note gives a little bit more information about synesthesia, grounding it in the experiences of children Harris has encountered on school visits.
An engaging look at a fascinating difference in perception, for younger readers . (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-25643-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
Share your opinion of this book
by Joan Holub & illustrated by Jan Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to...
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.
At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6660-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
Share your opinion of this book
More by Joan Holub
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Laurie Keller
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Daniel Roode
by Jessica Hische ; illustrated by Jessica Hische ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded.
U said it!
The diminutive lowercase letters attending Ms. Bracket’s School for Little Letters, located in New York City, embark on a “Find Yourself Field Trip” and observe letters everywhere—on signs, on T-shirts, and more. When personable U, the story’s protagonist, talks to a letter in a book at the New York Public Library, she realizes how powerful and important letters and words are; a discussion with a letter on a sculpture spelling out the word hope inspires optimism. When it’s her turn to share her field-trip experiences, U recaps her conversations and the lessons learned, namely, be yourself, or, in U’s case, be U. Her decision about who to be when she grows up should please readers, though the heavy-handed lead-up to that conclusion may confound them. The story is cute, though a bit thin, with a lofty message that may go over kids’ heads. However, the humorous, inventive illustrations are appealing, with playful use of typography and fonts; many colored images are pleasingly set against monochromatic line drawings. The adorable, exuberant student letters and teacher have spindly limbs, dots for eyes, and small, curved mouths. Ms. Bracket, who resembles a squiggly, yellow piece of pasta, wears a “hair” adornment. Children may be spurred to take part in their own creative lettering activities—collages for example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-38502-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jessica Hische
BOOK REVIEW
by Jessica Hische ; illustrated by Jessica Hische
BOOK REVIEW
by Jessica Hische ; illustrated by Jessica Hische
BOOK REVIEW
by Candace Fleming & illustrated by Jessica Hische
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.