In the comforting rhythm of these pages, children will absorb a message of faith in the power of art leavened by love.
A poem by Giovanni (Knoxville, Tennessee, 1994, etc.) for the singer Nina Simone becomes a luscious illustrated work with Raschka's watercolor, ink, and oil stick figures.
Readers don't need to know anything about Simone to hear this book sing. "Take a note and spin it around…don't prick your finger…take a note and spin it around on the Black loom…Take a genie and put her in a jar, wrap the sky around her." The vocabulary is simple, and fairly dances with images as Giovanni weaves her story of music and heart. The figures—a small girl, her mother, and a circle of women—swoop and curve like musical notes. The textured Fabriano paper backgrounds make the art seem to pop off the page; the colors are rich and warm, in shades of tea, chocolate, malt, cappucino, and butter, with a vibrant azure cloud. As is true of good poetry, this piece begs to be read aloud; as is true of fine art, it repays repeated examination.
In the comforting rhythm of these pages, children will absorb a message of faith in the power of art leavened by love. (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: March 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8050-4118-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996
PERSPECTIVES
IN THE NEWS
Title notwithstanding, not the most welcoming of books.
An energetic series of haiku celebrates the first day of school.
Some describe individuals: “Angelica” is “Like a red rocket / Flashing across a blue sky: / Her hair in the wind” as she runs to catch the bus. Some orient readers to their classrooms: “Name Tags” are “At every desk, / A chair with tennis-ball feet, / A place just for you.” Some capture the experience: In crowded “Hallways,” younger children watch as “A thick herd of cows / Tramples past, smelly and loud. / Fifth graders are tall.” The individual poems’ success as haiku vary. Some, like “Hallways” and “Growing Up,” in which a mother bids goodbye to a fledgling kindergartner as a “small / Bird flies from its nest,” nail the form; others are more patterned, short narratives than anything else. Oddly, for a book that purports welcome, a mean-spirited streak surfaces. Student “Harold” is described thus: “Like a duck, one boy / Waddles down the hall, quacking. / Yikes, he’s in my class!” Another poem celebrates a “Prank,” in which an older child who knows the ways of a particular water fountain “smirks” while turning the knob to splash the face of the unsuspecting younger child. The kid laughs instead of crying, but it feels gratuitous. GrandPré’s busy, colorful paintings use primary colors to render this racially diverse school’s cheerfully chaotic first day.
Title notwithstanding, not the most welcoming of books. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-15588-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
A lively and approachable animal tale about creative solutions and friendship.
A narwhal cavorts with different sea creatures in this rhyming picture book.
Nellie, a narwhal, seeks friends and adventure. But her fellow sea creatures rebuke her requests to play. Harper, a whale, tells Nellie she is too small to splash her tail. Bill, a juggling octopus, says: “You’re a nice narwhal. I do think you’re great. / But you have no arms, and you see I have eight.” Tommy, a turtle, remarks that Nellie lacks the shell necessary for playing hide-and-seek. Disappointed, Nellie thinks of new ways the others might enjoy playing with her. She explains to Harper that they can splash their tails regardless of size. When she visits Bill, he uses his extra arms to play a tickling game. Finally, Nellie shares a game idea with Tommy: “You see this seaweed I’ve tied in a loop? You can throw it onto my tusk like a hoop.” The upbeat text asserts: “Nellie and all her friends could now see / It’s alright when you do things differently.” Cullen and Ellis’ message underscoring the celebration of differences is evident, if didactic. Still, it is appropriate for young readers. The images by theillustrators.com.au feature graphic, cartoonlike creatures with large eyes and an appealing backdrop of undersea activity in aquatic hues. The enjoyable book includes “Nellie’s Ocean Trivia,” offering five multiple-choice questions relevant to the story, such as “What kind of animal is a turtle?”
A lively and approachable animal tale about creative solutions and friendship.Pub Date: May 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-648-84980-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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