Kids who devour cooking shows, collect recipes, and enjoy stirring up their own creations will find much to love in this book
Lizzie thinks you’re never too little to dive into the kitchen and start cooking.
After a grand introduction, Lizzie dons her full chef’s uniform and begins extensive preparations for a visit from Grandma, whom she calls “the greatest chef in the world.” Lizzie exuberantly awakens her parents and whips up a big breakfast to ensure she has the stamina for cooking the “perfect dinner.” Grandma’s Super Special Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Lizzie’s secret ingredient are on the menu! Lizzie’s parents eagerly support her activities; she is still so little that Mom and Dad must handle the stove and sharp knives, but Lizzie enjoys doing her own shopping at the farmers market to find the freshest ingredients, as does her animated little white dog, who does some “shopping” of its own. Making excellent use of white space, Keiser employs what looks like watercolor and pen and ink to portray Lizzie in perpetual motion as she demonstrates her culinary prowess. With amazing curly hair that sometimes appears almost as big as she is, Lizzie could be a biracial child given her dad’s brown skin and her mom’s lighter complexion. The recipe in the backmatter will inspire young readers to follow Lizzie’s fearless lead.
Kids who devour cooking shows, collect recipes, and enjoy stirring up their own creations will find much to love in this book . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: July 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09169-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag.
Epistolary dispatches from the eternal canine/feline feud.
Simon the cat is angry. He had done a good job taking care of his boy, Andy, but now that Andy’s parents are divorced, a dog named Baxter has moved into Andy’s dad’s house. Simon believes that there isn’t enough room in Andy’s life for two furry friends, so he uses the power of the pen to get Baxter to move out. Inventively for the early-chapter-book format, the story is told in letters written back and forth; Simon’s are impeccably spelled on personalized stationery while Baxter’s spelling slowly improves through the letters he scrawls on scraps of paper. A few other animals make appearances—a puffy-lipped goldfish who for some reason punctuates her letter with “Blub…blub…” seems to be the only female character (cued through stereotypical use of eyelashes and red lipstick), and a mustachioed snail ferries the mail to and fro. White-appearing Andy is seen playing with both animals as a visual background to the text, as is his friend Noah (a dark-skinned child who perhaps should not be nicknamed “N Man”). Cat lovers will appreciate Simon’s prickliness while dog aficionados will likely enjoy Baxter’s obtuse enthusiasm, and all readers will learn about the time and patience it takes to overcome conflict and jealousy with someone you dislike.
An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4492-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heartfelt content for children who need to feel seen.
Words addressed to children aimed at truth-telling, encouraging, and inspiring are accompanied by pictures of children of color going about their days.
“This story is about you,” the narrator opens, as a black boy looks up toward readers, a listening expression on his face. A multiracial group of children romp in a playground to encouraging words: “you are… / a dancer / a singer / in charge of the game.” Then comes a warning about the “whispers” out in the world that “tell you who you are / But only you and love decide.” There is advice about what to do when you “think there is nowhere safe”: “Watch a bird soar / and think, / Me too.” It asks readers to wonder: “If there was a sign on your chest / what would it say?” Children argue and show frustration and anger for reasons unclear to readers, then they hold up signs about themselves, such as “I am powerful” and “I am talented.” A girl looks hurt, and a boy looks “tough” until someone finds them “sitting there wondering / when the sky will blue.” While the words are general, the pictures specify a teacher, who is brown-skinned with straight black hair, as one who “can see you.” While young readers may find the wording unusual, even obscure in places, the nurturing message will not be lost.
Heartfelt content for children who need to feel seen. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68446-021-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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