A humorous approach to the dilemma of choosing just one bedtime story.
The books on Josh’s shelf are at war.
Each one is vying to be the book that the boy wants to read most for “story time tonight!” Pirate Book says, “Josh wants a rousin’ tale with deadly swords and treasure hoards!” Poem Book states, “Let me through! Roses are red. Violets are blue. Josh will pick me. He will not pick you.” Joke Book counters with, “At least I make Josh laugh!” Spouting hilarious dialogue, the amusingly rendered books, pictured with anthropomorphic features—Joke Book with Groucho-like glasses, nose, and moustache; Pirate Book with a black eye patch and red bandanna; and Poem Book with daisies for eyes—jostle and push. Space Book, Dinosaur Book, and Pop-Up Book join the crowd, all fighting against each other until poor Pirate Book is pushed to the floor, where shark toys lurk under the bed. Quickly, the books unite to rescue Pirate Book. Pop-Up Book has a “spectacularly designed staircase” that tumbles out of its castle to save the day. By the time Josh and Grammie (who both have light brown skin and dark hair, with Grammie’s turning a little gray) come in to choose a bedtime story, all the books are tucked away on their shelves, still worried over Josh’s pick. The boy surprises them by choosing his many favorites (the six featured books), and Grammie agrees to read them all. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A humorous approach to the dilemma of choosing just one bedtime story. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1272-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
This is one journey to skip.
A child embarks on an imaginary international journey, using many conveyances, in recalling all the items lost on previous trips.
The text, originally French, is in four-line stanzas, mostly in an aabb rhyming pattern, that are occasionally awkward in English: “In the deep, black waters of Loch Ness, / my mind wandered off and I forgot my address! / When I saw a yeti trying to get a fishy bite, / my stomach floated off and I lost my appetite.” In the accompanying spread, the child helms a yellow submarine, a green Nessie swims nearby, and a large white creature on a boat tries to grab fish with a net. Two fish have some writing on their bodies: the forgotten address? Happily, there appears to be no image of the stomach or the appetite that has floated off. Although the last page, with its short list of facts about some places mentioned, instructs readers to look for the lost items, some ephemeral items seem impossible to find. Concrete objects can be found with close looking: a jacket at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, a scarf around the neck of the Statue of Liberty, both mentioned in the accompanying text. Some items are more metaphorical. Can readers “find my mind” as the girl requests, when she ventures into outer space? Although the whimsical multimedia illustrations are often engaging, this world journey offers little engagement with people and a very cursory view of iconic sights.
This is one journey to skip. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2178-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A Midwestern child’s flights of fancy that are nicely grounded in childhood reality.
A girl takes nighttime dream flights over the landscape below in this picture book for children.
Growing up in Wisconsin, an almost-7-year-old girl named Jamie-Lee Agnes Nelson likes playing outdoors or dressing up like a princess. Jamie-Lee, known as Jamie, also likes her privacy—for reading, daydreaming, or enjoying nature—and even dares to enter the backyard of her strange neighbor, Mr. Harry (nicknamed “Scary Harry”), to sit in his swing and watch the sun rise. Trying to fall asleep one night, she imagines she’s floating upward into the sky, able to see everything down below. Though clumsy on the ground, in the air Jamie feels masterful. It’s so satisfying that she goes on these dreamy journeys every night, exploring everything from her grandparents’ farm to the aurora borealis. Years later, having almost forgotten her flying, she recalls it with affection—and even makes friends with Mr. Harry. Jamie’s character shows a healthy balance between dreamy imaginativeness and earthy, regular-girl energy; she hopes to be a fancy princess, but she wears her hair in braids to avoid combing it. The girl’s flying becomes more convincing thanks to well-chosen sensory details, such as “the hushed soughing of the sturdy, twisting oaks in the breezes.” Similarly, while the book is nostalgic for a time when kids wandered around outside all day by themselves, its young heroine takes the view—perhaps more freely expressed today than in the past—that some grown-ups can be off-putting. The rapprochement between Jamie and Mr. Harry could be more solidly accounted for; though it seems to have something to do with remembering her flights, the link is tenuous. The quirky, soft pastel pencil illustrations capture the story’s wonder, adding charming details like a bird painting that comes to life when Jamie flies.
A Midwestern child’s flights of fancy that are nicely grounded in childhood reality.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-973678-94-6
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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