A book for those who see school as a prison to be escaped; this is about as strongly anti-school as a picture book gets.
A young ninja shows off some skills for school.
Ninjas are good at silently rising before the sun. They are nimble and strong, with the balance of a flamingo “(but without looking silly)”—though the illustration belies this, as all the kids at the bus stop are laughing. They can be “one with their surroundings.” This last pictures the boy, in ninja black, plastered to the ceiling of the bus. Light on plot, but so far, so good. But then Wilson’s ninja takes a disturbing turn. “A ninja must be still and patient, like a deep-rooted tree….” On the left, Harrison’s vibrantly colored illustration shows the ninja sitting primly in class. But on the right, the text reads, “…and strike with the VIPER’S speed when the time is right for disappearing.” The ninja is now sneaking out the classroom window while the teacher’s back is turned. The verso reveals “A ninja’s spirit is never caged.” Freedom is not long-lived, as the teacher catches up to the ninja on the playground, and the principal sends him home, with seriously angry looks all around. His parents put away his ninja things, but regardless, the boy knows he is a ninja, as his shadow proudly reflects. Other poor examples include the precarious stack he climbs to reach the “ninja stuf” and the gray-haired granny bus driver sporting earbuds.
A book for those who see school as a prison to be escaped; this is about as strongly anti-school as a picture book gets. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 22, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-375-86584-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A subtle tale, perhaps best read to a thoughtful child in the intimate setting of a winter bedtime.
Quiet but joyful, this is an original story based on a traditional theme found in many cultures.
The author’s note mentions that in some Native American cultures, as well as in China, Korea and Japan, the trope of the rabbit in the moon is well-known. Brooks learned about it from a Lakota elder and then spun her own tale. A young rabbit in a northern clime learns the “Winter Moon Song.” On his way home from rehearsal for the annual performance, he stops in the woods and looks up at the image of the “rabbit-in-the-moon” and remembers the story, told by his mother, of love and sacrifice binding together the Great Mother, Creator Rabbit (imagined by Brooks), and one of her earthly creations, a little rabbit. The song continues to honor this story and is meant to “lighten the darkest month of the year with a trail of magic.” Yet the new singer is not satisfied with the performance. Instead of the churchlike place with candlelight where the rabbits gather, he starts to sing right under the moon, “with the rabbit pattern clearly visible,” beginning a new tradition. The soft watercolors, in subdued gray and deep blue, with some contrasting warm brown and golden shades, set a tranquil tone.
A subtle tale, perhaps best read to a thoughtful child in the intimate setting of a winter bedtime. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55498-320-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As celebrity-authored books go, it could be worse.
Frothy fun from the Stella sisters, musicians and child stars of the TV series Nashville.
Sans music, the text doesn’t read any better than pop-song lyrics usually do: “Mom says, hurry, hurry come on / What could possibly be taking so long? // We say, Mama, we’re almost done / Getting all ready for some sister fun // In the waves, in the water / In the waves, in the water.” Björkman cranks the energy up, though, by portraying the recognizably drawn sibs exuberantly racing across a golden beach and diving into shallow waters positively crammed with brightly colored sea life and glittering treasure. Then, with a climactic view of a tub overflowing with suds, toys and a pair of hyped-up girls, comes the revelation that the beach was an imaginary one, the product of “two sisters who pretend a lot.” The song is available for an online listen on the publisher’s site. A photo album of the sisters on stage and elsewhere caps this souvenir of their first original release.
As celebrity-authored books go, it could be worse. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-235939-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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