A luminescent tale extolling the miraculous changes wrought by an infant’s arrival. Expanding upon the gently reassuring words of Psalm 139, Carlstrom (Glory, not reviewed, etc.) details the myriad ways in which a couple’s life evolves with the birth of their child. Amid the references to God are more earthy allusions, both the heavens and the earth rejoice in the child; fish shimmer a hello, ducks quack their congratulations, while a great-grandmother croons a special song. “Her blessing song was like a star / rising to the heavens. / God must have smiled.” Whether earthbound or spiritual, the verses marvel reverently at the wonder of a new life blooming. Effulgent imagery continually conveys the sense that this child is the beacon of its parents’ universe, enveloping all in its radiance. Saport’s (Tupag the Dreamer, not reviewed, etc.) pastel and charcoal illustrations convey the same lustrous quality as the poem. Broad, sweeping images fill the pages, depicting the softly rounded figures of the parents cradling their infant, expressing serenity through simple details such as peacefully closed eyes or slightly curving smiles. Rich hues of deep crimson, bright saffron, and vivid cobalt mingle together to create a vibrant setting for Carlstrom’s affecting verses. A beautiful portrayal of the transformation of a couple into a family. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8028-5185-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts.
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.
Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. “One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly’s legs. One family.” Gomez’s richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For “six,” a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.”
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-374-30003-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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