A soothing, comforting lunar lullaby calibrated for bedtime sharing.
The moon’s beneficent presence prompts reassuring aspirations.
As if chanting a lyrical mantra, the unnamed narrator introduces a series of wishes with the repeated phrase, “If I were the moon.” As the moon, the narrator envisions painting “ripples of light on wet canvas,” “shimmer[ing] over dreams of snow,” “wax[ing] and wan[ing] over the Earth’s troubles,” and bringing “peaceful sleep for worried hearts.” The language is flowing and soporific, the repetition of “moon” slow and soothing. Finally, as the moon, the narrator would “become big and bright” with love to shine on readers. Loose, vibrant illustrations done in mixed media, including drawing inks and colored pencils, provide visual grounding for the abstract text. Using broad, fluid brush strokes, Pavlovic loosely spreads luminous washes of color to create moonstruck nocturnal scenes. The moon appears somewhere in each double-page spread, smiling and shining on fish and whales in the sea, polar bears on ice, burdened humans crossing a landscape, city cats afoot, wolves howling, and so forth. Animals depicted are slightly anthropomorphized, often smiling back at the moon. The moon’s influence can perhaps most strikingly be seen in a picture of a long line of displaced people trudging sadly along, but one babe on mother’s back is smiling in their sleep.
A soothing, comforting lunar lullaby calibrated for bedtime sharing. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77306-076-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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
An expertly crafted, soulful, and humorous work that tenderly explores identity, culture, and the bond between father and...
Thunder Boy Smith Jr. hates his name.
The Native American boy is named after his father, whose nickname is Big Thunder. Thunder Boy Jr. says his nickname, Little Thunder, makes him "sound like a burp or a fart." Little Thunder loves his dad, but he longs for a name that celebrates something special about him alone. He muses, “I love playing in the dirt, so maybe my name should be Mud in His Ears.…I love powwow dancing. I’m a grass dancer. So maybe my name should be Drums, Drums, and More Drums!” Little Thunder wonders how he can express these feelings to his towering father. However, he need not worry. Big Thunder knows that the time has come for his son to receive a new name, one as vibrant as his blossoming personality. Morales’ animated mixed-media illustrations, reminiscent of her Pura Belpré Award–winning work in Niño Wrestles the World (2013), masterfully use color and perspective to help readers see the world from Little Thunder’s point of view. His admiration of his dad is manifest in depictions of Big Thunder as a gentle giant of a man. The otherwise-muted palette bursts with color as Thunder Boy Jr. proudly enumerates the unique qualities and experiences that could inspire his new name.
An expertly crafted, soulful, and humorous work that tenderly explores identity, culture, and the bond between father and son. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-01372-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
