An engaging, cheerfully illustrated story with a classic moral.
In the sixth installment of Katsori’s (Loukoumi’s Cookbook, 2011, etc.) children’s book series, Loukoumi the lamb responds to a bully by following the golden rule.
Loukoumi is excited to tell her animal friends at school that her parents are expecting a new baby lamb. Her excitement is spoiled, however, when an alligator named Igor, the schoolyard bully, interrupts to mock Loukoumi’s unique name (which means “sweet” in Greek), and she’s hurt and confounded by his cruel words and actions. Fortunately, her crew of animal friends consoles her with wise words. They discuss the value of celebrating differences and individuality. Her monkey friend, Marika, explains that kindness and acceptance of others should prevail over cruelty and bullying. Throughout the day, Loukoumi follows her friends’ advice, showing Igor forgiving kindness and respect; for example, when Igor’s pencil breaks, Loukoumi happily lends him one of hers, despite Igor’s prior cruelty. Igor is surprised and positively affected by her unwavering friendliness. The book provides young readers with an example of how bullying may be overcome not with retaliation, but with kind consideration. Bright, colorful illustrations lend the book an engaging cartoon aesthetic. However, the resolution of Loukoumi’s bullying problem may seem too quick and easy, as Igor quickly transforms into an ally after just a few acts of kindness. However, the overarching theme of the story, the golden rule, is one which may be useful for young readers. The book’s accessible text and illustrations make this a good choice for beginning readers. It also comes with an audio version of the story, animatedly narrated by Nia Vardalos, writer and star of the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman as the voice of Igor.
An engaging, cheerfully illustrated story with a classic moral.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-0984161034
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NK Publications/Dream Day Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PROFILES
A wonderfully charming tale of family and sisters that anyone can bond with.
Two sisters who are constantly at odds take a family road trip that covers more ground—both literally and figuratively—than they expect.
After begging her parents for a sister, Raina gets more than she bargained for once Amara is born. From the moment she was brought home, Amara hasn’t been quite the cuddly playmate that Raina had hoped. As the years pass, the girls bicker constantly and apparently couldn’t be more unalike: Raina spends her time indoors underneath her headphones, and Amara loves animals and the outdoors. The girls, their mother and their little brother all pack up to drive to a family reunion, and it seems like the trip’s just going to be more of the same, with the girls incessantly picking on each other all the way from San Francisco to Colorado. However, when the trip doesn’t go quite as planned—for a number of reasons—the girls manage to find some common ground. Told in then-and-now narratives that are easily discernable in the graphic format, Telgemeier’s tale is laugh-out-loud funny (especially the story about the snake incident) and quietly serious all at once. Her rounded, buoyant art coupled with a masterful capacity for facial expressions complements the writing perfectly. Fans of her previous books Smile (2010) and Drama (2012) shouldn’t miss this one; it’s a winner.
A wonderfully charming tale of family and sisters that anyone can bond with. (Graphic memoir. 7-13)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-54059-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
May this endearing pair have more sneakily educational outings.
The ground is all white and cold, and Squirrel has no idea why.
Awakening to find the grass is gone, Squirrel panics and calls for Bird. Ever patient Bird explains that sometimes it snows in winter, and the grass just gets covered. Bird suggests they play in the snow, but Squirrel says it’s too cold…until Bird introduces Squirrel to snowballs. Suddenly, Squirrel loves snow. Bird also explains that snowflakes are all different shapes. Squirrel’s skeptical. “They’re all small, white blobs.” Then Squirrel yells, “BIRD! There is SMOKE coming out of my mouth! Is it because I ate a snowflake?” Bird notes that sometimes it gets so cold that you can see your breath. A frozen puddle sends Squirrel sliding into a giant snow squirrel. Squirrel’s pretty sure that snow squirrel stole some hazelnuts. Bird explains that’s impossible: “It isn’t real—it’s just a SNOW squirrel.” When the snow melts overnight, Squirrel is convinced the snow squirrel took it all—but at least the hazelnuts are still there (the builder of the snow squirrel had used them for the eyes and mouth). Hemming’s tale, which relies on speech bubbles and text in several different fonts for emphasis (and overreaction), is as funny as the first two in the series, while Slater’s digitally created, colorful illustrations add some slapstick giggles. The book finishes with a double-page spread of snow facts that address Squirrel’s concerns.
May this endearing pair have more sneakily educational outings. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781464226786
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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