An approachable lesson about saying “no” for young readers.
A spunky young girl finds courage in her mother’s words in Anne’s picture book.
With her black, curly hair in two cute puffs, 6-year-old Cecelia (who has tan skin) wears purple clothes and hairbows because purple is her mommy’s favorite color. To connect with her mother when mommy’s away at work, Cecelia draws pictures for her with purple crayons. Cecelia’s classmate Sammi Sylvester really loves Cecelia’s drawings. So, when Sammi asks to have them on Monday and Tuesday, Cecelia says yes. Saying yes on Wednesday gives her a bad feeling because her mommy will never see her expressions of love. When Cecelia gets home, she remembers her mom’s advice that “it’s okay to say no to a friend,” then tries it out on her stuffed animals, her pets, and even a drawing of Sammi. After practicing at home, Cecelia is finally able to tell Sammi no, she can’t have her purple airplane picture—but they can still be friends. The author / illustrator’s purple-dominated color scheme drives home Cecelia’s love for her mother, and Cecelia’s changing expressions are caught with nuance in the simple drawings. Cecelia’s personality also comes through in the dialogue, from her kindly innocence to her expressive consternation when humorously comparing Sammi to “a hungry octopus grabbing everything.” There could be a more pointed discussion of boundaries, but Cecelia administers a master class in the concept by example.
An approachable lesson about saying “no” for young readers.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798990649811
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Little Angels Book Club
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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