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DADAJI'S PAINTBRUSH

Name: DADAJI'S PAINTBRUSH
Author: Rashmi Sirdeshpande
ISBN: 978-1-64614-172-2

by Rashmi Sirdeshpande ; illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2022

A gentle, reassuring reminder that love lives on long after death.

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What endures after someone is gone?

A boy in a village in India loves to paint, just like Dadaji, his grandfather and constant companion. Dadaji dies, leaving the boy his best paintbrush, but the boy puts it aside—it hurts too much to even look at it. Months go by, and a young girl comes knocking, asking the boy to teach her to paint (“like your dadaji taught my mummy”), spilling color back into his life. As the children look at Dadaji’s paintings, they’re inspired—and the boy finally finds solace. This story of familial love and the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren wraps readers in a tight hug. Illustrations are in soft focus, almost like a flashback in a film, and Mhasane’s use of color, from spring-colored pastels to darker, gloomy grays, offers a key to the boy’s emotions as he deals with loss and finds healing. Though Dadaji’s death isn’t explicitly described in the text (the boy asks his grandfather never to leave him; a page turn reveals that “…one day, he did”), an image of Dadaji bent and frail offers a poignant explanation. Matching the tone of the artwork, Sirdeshpande’s words evoke a quiet, tender feeling. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gentle, reassuring reminder that love lives on long after death. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-64614-172-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Levine Querido

Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
NEVER SHOW A T. REX A BOOK
by Rashmi Sirdeshpande ; illustrated by Diane Ewen

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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)