A rich story that urges readers to hold on to hope.
A young girl is enchanted by the beautiful blue swallows outside her window.
Parastoo loves to watch the birds, which look like “a little piece of the sky.” In summer, she admires them from her mother’s lap as they dart among the pink, orange, and yellow blossoms. In autumn, she’s unhappy that the birds fly away. Her mother explains that they migrate south, where it’s warmer, and her grandmother reassures her that they will return. Soon, Parastoo’s mother, a nurse, must leave for the border. Parastoo’s grandparents step up to take care of her. In her dreams, Parastoo flies with the swallows to visit her mother and to see the important work she’s doing treating injured soldiers. Her grandfather encourages her to make birdhouses for the swallows’ arrival in the spring. Spring comes, but the birds don’t, and Parastoo worries they’ve lost their way. But soon she’s heartened by the chirping of the swallows and the long-awaited arrival of her mother. Bright, dynamic illustrations feature blue and orange motifs throughout, lending the book a feeling of vibrancy even in moments of sadness. The passing of the seasons parallels the separation of mother and daughter, and moments of melancholy are enlivened by hope. Characters are brown-skinned, and though geographic locations aren’t specified, the book’s dedication hints at an Iranian setting.
A rich story that urges readers to hold on to hope. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593108918
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.
Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.
Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780063342262
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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