Artistry and poetry preaching effectively to a particular sort of choir
Spoken-word artist Aragon brings her poetry to the picture-book page in her debut.
Love is a powerful creative force. Flowing from the tripartite God of love, its generative ability creates light, sky, plants, and animals of all kinds, culminating in humanity, the crown of creation. Human beings then, as image bearers of the Creator, with their own capacity for both love and creation, bring forth a child through the intimacy of husband and wife. This is a tale of two genesis stories, a poetic retelling of the biblical Genesis as well as the genesis of a family, all centered on love. Though the rhythm of the text is lovely, the implication of sexual intimacy in marriage as the exclusive means of creating a family unfortunately limits the audience to only heteronormative couples and nonadoptive parents. The colorful and bold illustrations are visually striking, depicting an appropriately brown-skinned Adam and Eve and a contemporary black family as the focal points of the dual creation narrative. A lovely celebration of the power of love and its role in the traditional nuclear family, though a bit on the exclusive side.
Artistry and poetry preaching effectively to a particular sort of choir . (Picture book/religion. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7369-7436-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harvest House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
Saccharine and cloying, though darling and diverse illustrations lend some charm.
Children are encouraged to follow their hearts and chase their dreams in a new picture book from the morning-TV host.
“Hello, little dreamer!” offers an encouraging invitation to young readers, going on to inquire, “What is your FAVORITE thing to do?” Rhyming couplets in direct address proceed to speculate and offer possibilities. Whatever “you” enjoy doing may be the seed of a dream meant just for you from God. A little curiosity and a dash of prayer are all it takes to make your dreams come true. The soft-edged and undeniably cute illustrations include an admirably diverse array of dot-eyed children engaged in a variety of activities: bicycling (with helmets), running over grassy fields with balloons, splashing in puddles. At times the text skates close to the prosperity gospel: “NEVER let people tell you / your dreams can’t come true. / Just keep doing those things / that God wants you to do.” They need only follow these interests to find fulfillment, a rather trite and unrealistic message. It’s delivered in an at-times forced rhyme—an unfortunate but typical characteristic of the genre. “This was God's plan. / This was what He designed / Because right from the start / He had you on His mind!” Readers might find themselves praying for prose by the time they get through it. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.)
Saccharine and cloying, though darling and diverse illustrations lend some charm. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4002-0926-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A simple, celebratory story of community collaboration and religious tolerance.
In Inuvik, a town 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, a makeshift trailer mosque is no longer adequate for the growing Muslim community.
The cost of building “a bigger one so far north” is prohibitive, so the Winnipeg-based Zubaidah Tallab Foundation steps in to help. Based on a true story, this picture book describes the remarkable project, from fundraising and building the mosque in Winnipeg to transporting it to Inuvik more than 4,000 kilometers away. The mosque’s long-distance journey is fraught with perils and challenges that require the efforts of many people to overcome. Road signs and power lines have to be moved to accommodate the oversized semitrailer conveying The Midnight Sun Mosque over back roads and country highways as it struggles to make it to the last Hay River barge crossing of the season before the winter freeze. Ghare's scenic, digital illustrations do the heavy lifting in this intriguing story narrated in straightforward, spare text. The artwork depicts racially and ethnically diverse communities of Muslims and non-Muslims in both locales. Roman Catholic clerics and Gwich'in First Nations elders are present at the official opening of the new mosque. A short introduction and author's note provide additional details for consideration and discussion.
A simple, celebratory story of community collaboration and religious tolerance. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2760-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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