Pleasant bedtime reading with unassuming color and morality lessons.
This chapter book for early readers by Australian educators Ireland and Lewer (Literacy for Littlies, 1999) introduces children to colors.
These short stories all center on color themes, opening and closing with tales of rainbows. In between, the works focus on the hues of the spectrum—roughly in ROYGBIV order, although the authors substitute “purple” for “violet”—followed by stories about nonrainbow colors (such as black, turquoise, and gold, among others). Most tales also offer a simple lesson, such as the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer–like “The Little Rainbow Dragon,” in which the titular character is teased by peers for being different until they recognize his unique skill—in this case, breathing rainbow-toned flames. “A Story about Red and Orange” and “A Story about Black” may disturb some younger readers, as they feature a forest fire and scary storm, respectively; however, in both, children work through their fears. Like the dragon, other protagonists feel left out for being different but eventually become accepted. The main characters are primarily white children, but others show a range of skin tones. There are a few anthropomorphic animals and even a tractor with feelings. The inclusion of questions at the ends of some stories (such as “What things can you find that are indigo?”) encourages dialogue between adults and children, and colorful illustrations enhance the text throughout. The farm and country settings in many stories imply a romanticized earlier and simpler time, which may be soothing to young readers but doesn’t break new ground.
Pleasant bedtime reading with unassuming color and morality lessons.Pub Date: July 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5434-0247-6
Page Count: 60
Publisher: XlibrisAU
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
bookshelf
