MOM IS HIDING

Name: MOM IS HIDING
Author: Qian Mo
ISBN: 978-1-64074-117-1

by Qian Mo ; illustrated by Zhou Yi ; translated by Helen Wang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 2020

While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic.

bookshelf

Faced with uncertainty during a pandemic, a Chinese girl finds her inner courage.

The simple, direct narrative introduces 6-year-old Nina, who lives with her mother while her dad works overseas in Africa. One day her mom sits her down to talk about a virus. Referring to the virus as “little monsters,” Mom explains the monsters bring disease, spreading in three ways: “1. Sneezing 2. Coughing 3. Touching.” Her father concurs, adding tips to protect themselves, such as staying indoors, wearing a mask outdoors, and maintaining healthy habits. Days later, reality hits when Nina’s mother isolates herself in the bedroom with a mask and a message to keep away. The mother explains through the door that the grocery store she visited was reported to have an outbreak of cases and she must isolate for 14 days to prevent spread. Emotive brown- and gray-toned textured illustrations portray Nina as she processes her feelings, from anger to fear despite online calls with her parents. Thankfully, Aunt Mary arrives, and she addresses Nina’s concerns with a 14-day plan of action. Empowered, Nina assures her mom that she will take care of her. Narrator Nina frankly worries that her mother will die, and the book ends with her mother still in quarantine; young readers may well have many questions.

While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-64074-117-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cardinal Media

Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

bookshelf

IF DINOSAURS HAD HAIR

by Dan Marvin ; illustrated by Lesley Vamos ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2022

A laugh-out-loud, dino-themed farce.

bookshelf

Ever wonder why there are no dinosaurs?

Marvin and Vamos offer a possible answer with a humorous twist: Dinosaurs had hair. Imagine! If dinosaurs had hair, they must have had hair problems, too, like “parents who brushed it too hard,” “siblings who pulled it,” and “snarls. SO. MANY // SNARLS.” And if dinosaurs had hair, they probably flaunted their impressive styles by “flying with flair,” “galloping with gusto,” and “swimming with sass,” all of which led to gossip, jealousy, and hair drama like the “HAIR // WARFARE!” between Team Hair-o-dactyl and Team Pompadour-o-saurus, complete with Jurassic jeers and computer game–esque illustrations. Readers see a battle of hairstyles, “from pigtails to pixie cuts…// from pageboys to perms.” The winning style? “BIG BANGS!” As a T. rex shows off their hairdo, illustrations show asteroids raining down in the background; the final page shows a lone, feathered dino who has survived—consistent with the theory that dinosaurs evolved into birds. The book’s climax may also provide a teachable moment to distinguish the concept of the Big Bang from theories of extinction. The primary text moves the story forward briskly, but a second layer of sassy and punny speech bubbles also add humor for older readers and adults. Detailed, digitally created illustrations feature vibrant colors, hilarious hairstyles, and dinosaur facial features with lots of attitude and emotions, making this a book that will be read and reread often. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A laugh-out-loud, dino-themed farce. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-79256-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

- BOOK REVIEW
BUT I DON'T EAT ANTS
by Dan Marvin ; illustrated by Kelly Fry

bookshelf

THIS IS A SCHOOL

by John Schu ; illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

A full-hearted valentine.

bookshelf

A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow.

“This is a kid,” Schu begins. “This is a kid in a class. This is a class in a hall….” If that class—possibly second graders, though they could be a year to either side of that—numbers only about a dozen in Jamison’s bright paintings, it makes up for that in diversity, with shiny faces of variously brown or olive complexion well outnumbering paler ones; one child using a wheelchair; and at least two who appear to be Asian. (The adult staff is likewise racially diverse.) The children are individualized in the art, but the author’s narrative is addressed more to an older set of readers as it runs almost entirely to collective nouns and abstract concepts: “We share. We help. / This is a community, growing.” Younger audiences will zero in on the pictures, which depict easily recognizable scenes of both individual and collective learning and play, with adults and classmates always on hand to help out or join in. Signs of conflict are unrealistically absent, but an occasional downcast look does add a bit of nuance to the general air of eager positivity on display. A sad face at an apartment window with a comment that “[s]ometimes something happens, and we can’t all be together” can be interpreted as an oblique reference to pandemic closings, but the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A full-hearted valentine. (Picture book. 5-7)