A reassuring tale for littles by an author-illustrator dream team.
A kid lit virtuoso gives a Raffi song the picture-book treatment.
“I wonder if I’m growing // My mom says yes I’m growing // But it’s hard for me to see.” This children’s song is classic Raffi: Spare lyrics demonstrate a keen understanding of what’s important to little ones while also reflecting their age-appropriate literal-mindedness: If we can’t see ourselves growing, how do we know we’re growing? Klassen, author/illustrator of the Caldecott Medal–winning This Is Not My Hat (2012), takes a clever visual approach to the young narrator’s concern: For much of the book, readers can see just the top portion of the kid’s head (disheveled brown hair, big brown eyes, a pinkish-beige face flanked by protruding ears). In one illustration, the child’s head partly pokes up above a table (“My mom says eat your sandwich / it will make you grow up tall”). In another illustration, a bit of the kid’s head can be seen over the edge of a bathtub. But for the song’s news bulletin—“HEY! I can reach the tap now for the very first time today”—Klassen augments the kid’s face with the top part of a mouth open wide in surprise, followed by illustrations that include the top of the child’s proud smile. Klassen’s work features his customary chunky shapes and preferred earth tones—a subdued approach that packs more emotion than any fireworks-bright display of color might.
A reassuring tale for littles by an author-illustrator dream team. (afterword) (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781774888858
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience.
Flash those pearly whites!
Renowned poet Florian’s jaunty rhymes suggest that a hygiene ritual many children consider bothersome can be “fun! fun! fun!” Each spread features lively scenes showing kids demonstrating tooth- and mouth-cleansing techniques as well as two couplets in which the second exclamatory lines—containing a word repeated three times—rhyme with each other (“Toothpaste on the / brush! brush! brush!” “Take your time. / Don’t rush! rush! rush!”). Parents and caregivers seeking an enjoyable, stimulating way to motivate youngsters to perform this important daily task may wish to recite the rollicking verses to provide a pleasant, rhythmic, chanting “background” whenever their kids wield their toothbrushes. The colorful, energetic illustrations depict happy, wide-eyed, racially diverse small children—some with missing teeth—taking care of their oral-hygiene business with gusto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1340-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this.
A lushly illustrated picture book with a troubling message.
Little Lala walks with her father after his successful day of fishing. When Mama calls her home for bed, a host of “good night”s delays her: to the bird, the monkey, and even the rock. As Lala wanders through her village in the darkening twilight, readers appreciate its expansive beauty and Lala’s simple joys. Although it’s been artfully written and richly illustrated by an award-winning author of many multicultural stories, this book has problems that overshadow its beauty. “African veld” sets the story in southern Africa, but its vague locale encourages Americans to think that distinctions among African countries don’t matter. Lala wears braids or locks that stick straight up, recalling the 19th-century pickaninny, and her inconsistent skin color ranges from deep ebony like her father’s to light brown. Shadows may cause some of these differences, but if it weren’t for her identifiable hair, readers might wonder if the same child wanders from page to page. Perhaps most striking of all is Lala’s bedtime story: not an African tale but an American classic. While this might evoke nostalgia in some readers, it also suggests that southern Africa has no comparably great bedtime books for Lala, perhaps in part because American children’s literature dominates the world market.
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17384-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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