When Sophie has to surrender one toy to her sister, stumbles over another toy, and gets no sympathy from her mother, she runs furiously out into the woods, first to cry, and then sit in a huge old beech, watching the ocean until the tempest abates. Bang (Common Ground, 1997, etc.) captures the intensity of Sophie’s feelings with strong, broadly brushed forms and colors: images of flames and a volcano; blue eyes glaring up from a red background that looks as if it’s exploding; then harmonious, leafy greens and browns; and concluding scenes of domestic amity. This briefly told behavior-management episode explores well-worked thematic territory, but as in Hiawyn Oram’s Angry Arthur (1989)—and in contrast to the child in Betsy Everitt’s Mean Soup (1992)—Sophie finds a way to cope with her anger, quite laudably, without a helping adult hand. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-18979-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An honest look at motherhood in the contemporary era and a sweet tribute to the bond between mother and child.
Grammy-winning, multiplatinum singer/songwriter Rowland teams up with California teacher McKay to celebrate busy moms.
This picture book highlights a mother’s frequent longing to be with her child when life’s demands pull them apart. The story takes us through a busy Black mom’s week: She goes to work (at a construction site where she appears to be an engineer), works from home on her son’s sick day, takes him to a museum, and shares domestic duties with her Black male partner, who is a nurse. She encounters many bumps in the road that will be familiar to working parents. Each day, she gently reassures her son with a lyrical refrain: “Always with you, / Always with me, / Mommy and child / Together we’ll be.” This tender story, narrated in the voice of a mother addressing her child, pulls at the heartstrings. Liem’s digital artwork uses a warm palette and has a calming quality. The characters’ body language and heartfelt facial expressions are spot-on. This book will resonate with any mom who knows the heartache of having to say goodbye to their child or who has faced the teary-eyed frustration of a youngster experiencing separation anxiety. Young readers, on the other hand, will find solace in the reassuring narrative. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An honest look at motherhood in the contemporary era and a sweet tribute to the bond between mother and child. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-46551-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
“School doesn’t worry me,” confides this little boy. “Last year I had a lot of fun there...I was in Kindergarten then.” Assurances to the contrary notwithstanding, Aidan is plenty worried. A just-before-school-starts get-together with chums from last year, particularly Tammy’s account of bumping into their new teacher at the supermarket, helps the little guy get over those butterflies. Quackenbush recognizes a reality that is often glossed over—that even kids with a bit of school under their belts can worry about changes—and provides welcome support for them. Even readers who laugh outwardly at Aidan’s misconceptions will likely breathe tiny, private sighs of relief. Nascimbene places Tintin-esque characters against gorgeous, Japanese print–inspired backgrounds in a muted palette, the delicate lines and flat perspectives providing a soothing environment to calm jitters of all kinds. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-077632-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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