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A CHEST FULL OF WORDS

Name: A CHEST FULL OF WORDS
Author: Rebecca Gugger
ISBN: 9780735845602

by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger ; translated by Tim Mohr ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2025

Original and absorbing.

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In this Swiss import, words come to life—literally—as a young boy squishes, stretches, and hurls them through the air.

Oscar digs up a chest filled with jumbled-up words. He pulls out fluorescent, straightens it out, then tosses it at a nearby hedgehog, who suddenly becomes awash in neon. And that’s just the beginning. He uses hairy to give an old oak tree a trendy new ’do, transforms a beetle into a hulking, “monstrous” creature (he quickly undoes that change with adorable), and, with help from lightweight, lifts a backhoe in the air using just one hand. After Oscar runs out of words, he turns to a neighbor who has her own stash of words. She teaches him that he can find words just about anywhere, as long as he’s observant: “Use them with care and you can make the world blossom.” With her encouragement, he does just that. This vocabulary-rich story is visually striking and quietly powerful. Full of unusual words like bulbous, tender-leafed, and velvety, it leaves readers with pages full of unnamed images ripe for the claiming. The illustrations are whimsical and playful while also making concrete something that is utterly abstract. Oscar’s world has an exaggerated, off-kilter feel; with the earthy palette and changing perspectives, the art is a strong match for the storytelling. Most characters are light-skinned.

Original and absorbing. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 18, 2025

ISBN: 9780735845602

Page Count: 48

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MOUNTAIN
by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger ; illustrated by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger ; translated by Marshall Yarbrough

- BOOK REVIEW
IDA AND THE WHALE
by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger ; illustrated by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger ; translated by David Henry Wilson

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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)

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

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Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)