In a few pictures, readers will have to search for Buddha…delightfully, it’s Where’s Waldo with a spiritual spin.
Where is the Buddha in this modern world?
“Buddha is up high,” walking through the mountains and gazing at the birds. “Buddha is down below,” in a submarine, with the whales and fishes. “Buddha is watching the soft winter snow,” pausing on a bridge to watch a crane dance. He sits in the sun and shines with the moon and walks with the elephants in the warm showers of the monsoon. He “is everywhere you go.” He is in “the cozy house” and the wide open spaces. He is still and silent, big and small, near and far. Ware’s picture-book representation of the belief that Buddha’s nature is in all of creation is perfect for Buddhist families or others open to the teachings of the Buddhist faith. The jewel-toned, stylized, cartoon illustrations of a tiny smiling Indian Buddha in saffron robes effectively extend the text. In one double-page spread, children of many races hold hands or stand by all types of animals; in another, golden heart-lights shine from the silhouettes of humans and animals in a cityscape. As an added bonus, aside from introducing the concept of interconnectedness, the simple rhyming text presents pairs of opposites: Buddha in a biplane “goes fast,” Buddha “goes slow” along a garden path beneath the stylized blossoms of, perhaps, a Bodhi tree. The diminutive trim size emphasizes its friendly approachability.
In a few pictures, readers will have to search for Buddha…delightfully, it’s Where’s Waldo with a spiritual spin. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61180-587-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bala Kids/Shambhala
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
Younger audiences may be mostly interested in the bonking and stinky parts, but the rudiments are at least in place for...
Ten tales from the Old and New Testaments, with plot points and lessons hidden beneath large, shaped flaps.
Higgins depicts Jesus as a bit larger than those around him but otherwise draws him and the rest of the cast—including angels—with similar-looking round heads, wide-open eyes, slightly crooked beards (on the men), and dark brown or olive skin. Cycling arbitrarily among various tenses, the abbreviated, sanitized, and informally retold episodes begin in “a garden” with the tree, most of Adam and Eve, and the “tricky serpent” who “will trick them” initially hidden beneath die-cut flaps. Lifting the largest reveals the disobedient first couple sporting flashy animal-skin togs and text that promises that “God had a plan to save people from sin.” After Noah boards the “crowded, noisy, and stinky” ark, Moses leads the escape from plague-ridden Egypt (“Frogs and locusts! Yucky sores and flies!”), and “David bonks Goliath.” God’s promise eventually bears fruit with the birth and select miracles of Jesus. In the climactic scene, three distant crosses hide beneath a flap that depicts Jerusalem, while behind a tomb in the foreground an angel literally fizzes with fireworks. Beneath a bush readers see Mary (Magdalen) weeping until the risen Jesus (beneath another bush) gives her a hug: “Go tell the disciples that I am alive!”
Younger audiences may be mostly interested in the bonking and stinky parts, but the rudiments are at least in place for homiletic discussion. (Novelty/religion. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5064-4684-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant-enough introduction to feelings and how those feelings emerge.
Little readers learn about their feelings.
Feelings can influence behavior in unusual ways, and this board book shows little ones the cause-and-effect relationship feelings and actions may have. The faith-based nature of the board book positions God as the source of feelings, but the book’s larger interest lies in behavioral causes. For example, “When Jo feels happy, he jumps and leaps!” or “When Ava feels sad, she sometimes cries.” The animals are depicted in close-up on verso so readers can clearly see their expressions, and then medium shots of their actions are presented on the facing page. This technique emphasizes the importance of decoding facial expressions when determining a person’s feelings. The animals that exhibit feelings are suitably round and cuddly, colored in a soft, pastel palette. The final two pages contain resources for parents to help them talk to their children about feelings and faith.
A pleasant-enough introduction to feelings and how those feelings emerge. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5064-1782-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sparkhouse
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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