A creative tale about the importance of kindness.
Neighbors learn to accept one another’s differences in this picture book.
In “the Land of Numerals,” Black Family 13 is considered “odd and unlucky.” The daughter, Little 13, struggles socially. She overhears schoolmates call her “bad luck.” Despite Dad 13’s encouragement, she feels dejected. One day, she observes her neighbors White Family 11 drive off and notices Baby 11’s blanket fly out the window. Heeding her dad’s reminder that “kindness counts,” Little 13 retrieves the blanket, wraps it, and attaches a note. When White “Grumpy Grandma 12” across the street sees Little 13 drop off the package, she calls “Police 911,” questioning, “Why is bad luck coming from House 11?” The police arrive and Family 11 returns. Little 13 anxiously watches the commotion. When Teen 11 reads Little 13’s note, he implores his mother to thank the youngster. Though hesitant to interact with her “unlucky” neighbors, Mom 11 realizes Family 13 is warm and kind. After she thanks Little 13, she and Mom 13 discover “they had so much in common and so much to share.” The moms recognize “no two numbers are the same, they are each special.” The use of numbers as a way to represent traits and differences between people is clever. Fakki deftly demonstrates the importance of respecting others, refuting stereotypes and assumptions, and treating individuals with compassion. Marreiro’s whimsical illustrations feature bright hues and cartoonlike characters with black dot eyes. Number-adorned wallpaper, clothing, and buildings appear throughout.
A creative tale about the importance of kindness.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73390-496-4
Page Count: 41
Publisher: Hightree Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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