A wholesome and effusive first step into the natural world.
Contardo’s debut picture book follows a vegetable-loving young girl’s journey to a farm to see how food is grown.
Blond-haired, blue-eyed, dungaree-wearing Macie loves vegetables. At the supermarket, she sings a song in praise of her favorites—tomatoes, carrots, and beans. Then her Grandpa reveals an exciting secret: Before they reach the shops, vegetables are grown at a farm. Macie is excited to see this for herself, so Grandpa takes her to visit Farmer Lundyn. Macie soaks up everything there is to know about growing vegetables and grows her own basket of produce, which she presents to Grandpa. While not much information is imparted in Macie’s learning experience, Contardo captures both the magical enthusiasm of early childhood and the special dynamic that exists between young children and their grandparents. The gentle story is hemmed in by a slavish striving for end-rhymes; for example: “At the farm, where pretty sunflowers thrive, / They meet Farmer Lundyn when they arrive.” The text is presented in simple black font across colorful blank spaces within Contardo’s digital illustrations. These images are bright, albeit more serviceable than genuinely artistic, with little variation in the characters’ Disney-character-like expressions. There are some deft and sweet touches, however, such as the salad that Macie and Grandpa share, and Macie’s soft-toy carrot. Several post-story pages of farm- and vegetable-related questions and activities will encourage young readers to continue their explorations.
A wholesome and effusive first step into the natural world.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781962987073
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Mindstir Media
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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