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A NEIGHBORHOOD WALK, A MUSICAL JOURNEY

Name: A NEIGHBORHOOD WALK, A MUSICAL JOURNEY
Author: Pilar Winter Hill
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3670-4

by Pilar Winter Hill ; illustrated by Olivia Duchess ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2021

A delightful ode to the curiosity of childhood.

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Penelope and her mother live in the city, where there are sounds on every corner, but what will become of Penelope now that she’s heard a new, almost magical sound?

Penelope, a young girl with light-brown skin and hair in a single Afro puff, joins her mother on a walk to the farmers market. Along the way, they stop to enjoy a saxophonist on the street corner, a drummer in the subway, a guitarist in the park, and a cellist playing from inside a building. When they arrive at the farmers market, Penelope becomes fascinated by pleasant music riding the air that she can’t identify. She follows the sounds until she finds a violinist; enraptured, she declares, “I’m going to make that music too.” Penelope’s curiosity about music and the world around her rings true. The illustrations offer a pleasant, cartoonlike feel and plenty of details to bring character to this bustling, diverse city. Hilariously, three rats are drawn on the subway tracks, giving young readers an “I spy” opportunity and adults a chuckle. This will be an excellent book for picture walks with very young children, who will be drawn to the bright colors and busy pages. The text, alas, falters a bit, incorporating clunky onomatopoeia that doesn’t always provide a good imitation of the instruments they describe—does a bow drawn across a cello’s strings really sound like “pluck-pluck-pluck”?

A delightful ode to the curiosity of childhood. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-8075-3670-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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JUST A WORM

by Marie Boyd ; illustrated by Marie Boyd ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative.

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What can a worm do?

A little worm sets off on a “twirl” to “see the world.” But when it overhears a human referring to it as “just a worm,” its feelings are hurt. The worm asks other critters—including a caterpillar, a spider, a dragonfly—what they can do. After each answer (turn into a butterfly, spin silk thread, fly), the worm becomes more and more dejected because it can’t do any of these things. “Maybe I am just a worm.” But then the worm encounters a ladybug, who eats aphids and other insects, and the worm realizes that it eats dead plants and animals and keeps gardens clean. And though the worm can’t pollinate like the bee, it does create castings (poop) that help plants grow and stay healthy. These abilities, the worm realizes in triumph, are important! The cleverness of this story lies in its lighthearted, effective dissemination of information about various insects as well as earthworms. It doesn’t hurt that the expressive little worm is downright adorable, with emotions that will resonate with anyone who has felt unimportant. The stunning illustrations are done in quilled paper—a centuries-old technique that involves assembling strips of colored paper into shapes—which adds sparkle and originality. A tutorial of how to make a quilled butterfly and a page on earthworm facts round out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Unusual illustrations enhance an engaging, informative narrative. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-06-321256-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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PUMPKIN COUNTDOWN

by Joan Holub & illustrated by Jan Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012

Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to...

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A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.

At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.

Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)