An imaginative and playful escapade.
A boy named August can’t help but make a carefree mess.
His mom admonishes him with a smile, “August, don’t act so WILD!” The stripe-shirted boy reasons, “tigers are WILD, so [he] must be a TIGER.” Mom relocates the rambunctious August to the sandbox. Bemoaning his banishment, August wants to yell, but, instead, he lets loose a roar. Surprised, he realizes he has turned into an actual, child-sized tiger. He leaves his backyard and carouses in his new feline freedom, hunting prey (a butterfly; a zebra-striped crosswalk). August finds his friends at the park, but they run away in fear, not recognizing him. Sad and alone, he hears his mom calling. After running home, tiger and mom good-naturedly roughhouse until August, now back in human form, is ready for bed. August declares that he’s done being a tiger, but, since “tomorrow is another day,” he might be a dinosaur! The text, translated from Dutch, is fairly prosaic and not always fluid, but the illustrations serve the straightforward story well. Paintbrush effects keep visuals smooth, as when giving tiger fur its apropos softness, and even the urban elements seem arcadian. The tiny ears and tail that appear as August wishes to be a real tiger are well-placed hints at the change to come—some of the many elements for readers to laugh at and explore. Both August and his mom present white.
An imaginative and playful escapade. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62371-936-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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