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RAJIV'S STARRY FEELINGS

Name: RAJIV'S STARRY FEELINGS
Author: Niall Moorjani
ISBN: 9781915244574

by Niall Moorjani ; illustrated by Nanette Regan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2023

A meditative, moving tale that will spur readers to make sense of their own feelings.

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A young boy learns to name complex emotions with guidance from his father.

Rajiv experiences a variety of feelings, from confidence and happiness to impatience, anger, and frustration. One evening, he’s angry but doesn’t know why. His sympathetic father shows him a trick to help him articulate his feelings. As the two stroll through the park and climb the tallest tree to gaze at the night sky, Rajiv’s dad encourages him to visualize his feelings in the constellations. Dad points to a group of stars that form “the shape of my happiness”: a vision of him cooking. Rajiv squints at the sky until he sees his happiness—an image of him playing catch on the moon. The pair identify other feelings such as shyness, gentleness, hurt, and loneliness. His father points out his own feelings of anger, which helps Rajiv realize why he was upset. Teaching Rajiv life lessons in a gentle yet practical way, Dad explains that emotions guide our actions, just as constellations helped early explorers to find their way and astronauts to navigate through the darkness of space. This is an inspiring story that links astral wonders to everyday emotions. With swirls of color, the dazzling illustrations create a sense of wonder that fires up the imagination. Rajiv and his father are of Indian descent. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A meditative, moving tale that will spur readers to make sense of their own feelings. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023

ISBN: 9781915244574

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lantana

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)