A sweet book that effectively encourages healthy habits for the body and mind.
A bear has many woodland friends and self-care strategies in Khorrami’s debut picture book.
In a flower-filled meadow, ursine Ted flies a kite in windy weather near some animal pals; it’s frustrating, but he explains that perseverance is a good skill to cultivate. The story goes on to highlight that self-care can include tasks like expressing gratitude for others; at another point, Ted lets fireflies free after admiring their beauty, as part of an analogy about letting feelings go. There is no strong narrative arc over the course of this book; Ted’s activities simply impart surface-level, foundational knowledge of self-care and introspection to young readers, and to that end, it’s well written and age-appropriate, with a clear purpose. The repetitive, rhythmic text will assist early literacy development, and Ballarin’s full-color, adorable illustrations are whimsical and cheery, showing critters with rosy cheeks and happy smiles who enjoy working on projects as a group. Adult readers may wish that the book included more thorough explanations of the self-care techniques in backmatter. Also, readers may find it difficult to keep the animals’ names straight, aside from Ted’s, but all are solid role models.
A sweet book that effectively encourages healthy habits for the body and mind.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64543-997-4
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mascot Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A beautiful adventure about embracing both sides of one’s heritage.
A parent spins a bedtime story that takes a biracial child on a cross-cultural journey.
Donning a cloak and sturdy boots, the protagonist enters a lush autumn forest, venturing past “mischievous hobgoblins” and “glowing will-o’-the-wisps.” The pages are richly detailed, framed with decorative borders in a palette that is reminiscent of European fairy-tale illustrations with a touch of art nouveau. In a small thatched-roof cottage, the child encounters a White-presenting wise woman who describes dragons as “fearsome and fiery creatures” that hoard treasure and defeat knights. After learning this, the young adventurer slips into another forest, one with sumptuous, flowing ink illustrations in the style of traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Guided by the footprints of nine-tailed foxes and the advice of a white rabbit who lives on the moon, the child reaches the palace of a Chinese-presenting wise woman. In this realm, dragons are described as “majestic creatures of air and fire” who “rule in the skies and rivers” and control the rain. The Chinese-presenting parent ends the tale by noting that both worlds, though distinctly different, exist within the child and are open to be explored—and that “two wise grandmothers await / to share with you / their truth about dragons.” The book feels a little message-heavy, but it’s nevertheless a much-needed celebration of intergenerational storytelling and biracial identity. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A beautiful adventure about embracing both sides of one’s heritage. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781250820587
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
Emotionally stunning.
A young girl misses her urban home by the sea but soon discovers an unlikely friend who helps her to adjust.
After Katherena and her mom settle into their new rural home, Katherena visits the neighboring house and meets aging neighbor Agnes, an artist who works in clay. The seasons flow one into another. Katherena draws what she sees and grows ever closer to Agnes. Agnes tells Katherena about her art and about rural life; Katherena shares Cree words with Agnes. By the time it is fall, she’s helping Agnes in her garden. However, by winter, Agnes has become too weak to be outside much. Katherena and her mother make a salmon stew that Katherena takes over for Agnes and her daughter to enjoy. When spring returns again, Agnes continues to weaken, but Katherena has a plan to help her friend enjoy spring without going outside. Flett’s simple story explores the difficulties of moving but also shows young readers how new friends can sometimes ease them; that this friendship is an intergenerational one between fellow artists is an especially sweet touch. Flett (Cree/Métis) employs her characteristically minimalist style, placing Katherena against flat expanses of greensward that changes with the seasons, birds wheeling above in silhouette. Katherena and her mom both have brown skin and straight, black hair; Agnes has brown skin as well, but she does not speak Cree.
Emotionally stunning. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77164-473-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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