Notable for bringing easy STEM concepts to interesting, inventive life for very young readers.
“Looking up” takes on a whole new meaning.
Pia, a yellow-skinned, blue-haired girl, has a best friend—Patches, a pig from whom she’s inseparable. Apart from Patches, Pia’s favorite thing is the sky. Unfortunately, her father explains that the anatomy of pigs’ necks is such that pigs can’t look up. Pia is desolate because, she tells Patches, the sky isn’t only wonderful, it also reflects emotions, and she’s determined that her bestie should see it. She devises several ingenious stratagems to solve the dilemma, including rolling Patches onto his back and pushing him up a hill; sadly, each attempt ends in disappointment. However, Pia’s chance glimpse at a clear rain puddle gives her one final idea—and voila! By peering down into the puddle, Patches finally beholds the sky. This endearing, lighthearted tale rests on an easy science concept, though some kids might not get it, even as depicted; adult explanations may be needed. The tale makes a fine springboard for imaginative thinking and art activities focused on helping pigs look upward. The colorful, lively, expressive illustrations, set mostly in square or rectangular panels, are appealing; readers will also appreciate the text, often set in colored type and including onomatopoeic sound words used to very dynamic effect. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Notable for bringing easy STEM concepts to interesting, inventive life for very young readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35384-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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