CHOOSE YOUR DAYS

Name: CHOOSE YOUR DAYS
Author: Paula Wallace
ISBN: 978-1-941026-37-3

by Paula Wallace ; illustrated by Paula Wallace ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2016

This is the kind of book that will stick with readers, a meditation that they may not understand now but that, if digested,...

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With the help of Old Bear, Corky lives her life intentionally.

Old Bear is the “keeper of time and keys,” and when Corky is born, the big, pillowy-looking old ursine gives the little dark-haired, white child her days, two empty lists (one for dreams and one for things to do), her key, and a simple, whispered instruction: “Choose your days, make them sunny or gray.” She takes it seriously. Waking up beneath a clock with an urgent reminder instead of numbers—“Get up! You have stuff to do. Get up!”—Corky grows, moving from tricycle to two-wheeler, aging and becoming stooped over the course of two double-page spreads backgrounded with painterly strokes of aquamarine. Even aged, Corky still wants to pursue “work undone…play postponed…music unsung,” but eventually she must use her key to unlock the door to death, where Old Bear is waiting comfortingly. Wallace’s illustrations are metaphorical and cozy, her pointy-nosed protagonist perpetually clad in red shoes and scarf, striped stockings, and a comfy brown dress. Generous white space encompasses both protagonist and symbols of passing time (calendar pages, the stub of a pencil), giving children the emotional room to contemplate Corky’s progress.

This is the kind of book that will stick with readers, a meditation that they may not understand now but that, if digested, could have magical results . (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 12, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-941026-37-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

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SAMMY SPIDER'S FIRST WEDDING

From the Sammy Spider series

by Sylvia A. Rouss ; illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

Sammy’s adventure offers a good overview of a joyous occasion.

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The very busy spider who has celebrated many Jewish holidays now adds a festive ceremony to his catalog of experiences.

The little eight-legged one watches as Mr. Shapiro and his family build a chuppah, or Jewish wedding canopy, under which the bride and groom exchange their vows. Sammy gets closer and closer to it, thinking that it is quite “beautiful.” The Shapiros leave for the wedding carrying the chuppah, flowers, a small wrapped package, and Sammy. In a mix of religious traditions and modern touches, two men and two women hold the four pillars of the canopy while a rabbi wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) performs the ceremony. The bride walks around the groom seven times, they sip from a wine cup, and Sammy, ever curious, notices the package which contains a wineglass and happily crawls inside. “Weddings are fun!” he thinks, but this is not a good idea at a Jewish wedding ceremony, which concludes with the groom stomping on the wineglass—wrapped in a napkin for safety. Can Sammy save himself? Yes he can, in time to watch the guests, men and women together, “dancing the Hora.” Young readers not yet familiar with Jewish wedding customs will learn about a happy ritual, although there is no mention of the ketubah, or wedding contract. Kahn’s collage illustrations fill the pages with pretty pastel colors against a white background and depict the humans with uniformly pink skin.

Sammy’s adventure offers a good overview of a joyous occasion. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5124-8367-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kar-Ben

Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
SAMMY SPIDER'S FIRST TASTE OF HANUKKAH
by Sylvia A. Rouss & Genene Levy Turndorf ; illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn

- BOOK REVIEW
A WATERMELON IN THE SUKKAH
by Sylvia A. Rouss ; Shannan Rouss ; illustrated by Ann Iosa

- BOOK REVIEW
SAMMY SPIDER'S NEW FRIEND
by Sylvia A. Rouss & illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn

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WAIT! IT'S FRIDAY

by Chris Barash ; illustrated by Christine Grove ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2019

Even Beckett might have smiled when he reached the end of the story. Once in a while, waiting is more than worth the effort.

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Title notwithstanding, this picture book is the polar opposite of Waiting for Godot.

There’s never a moment of doubt that Shabbat is coming. The multiracial Jewish family in the story spends every minute of Friday making sure they’re ready for the Sabbath when the sun goes down. Some of the preparations are deeply spiritual, such as setting aside coins for charity, while others are mundane but necessary. Two pages of the book are devoted to laundry, which is probably two too many. Younger children might prefer to read more about the time spent taking care of Sisi the cat and Daisy the dog, but Grove’s illustrations make up for it. Sisi is having more fun than seems possible, decorating the “SHABBAT SHALOM” poster with paw prints and inventing a game with the coins for the tzedakah box. Sisi’s level of joy could serve as an inspiration to us all. The story will test readers’ patience, almost by definition. Just about every page of the text includes the word “wait.” But that only builds anticipation for the final pages of the book. When readers see the “golden and fluffy” matzo balls and the irises standing “tall in a sparkly vase,” they may feel as joyous as Sisi. In this observant extended family, Daddy and his parents present white, while Mommy and Uncle Bill present black; the protagonist and baby sister Helen have light-brown skin and Afro-textured hair.

Even Beckett might have smiled when he reached the end of the story. Once in a while, waiting is more than worth the effort. (Picture book. 3-5)