by Renato Moriconi ; illustrated by Renato Moriconi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 21, 2018
Inspired pictures will, in turn, inspire wide-eyed conversations.
This wordless picture book uses watercolor to show a helmet-clad, sword-bearing horseman moving miraculously unscathed above, below, and past all manner of scary situations.
Stark white pages—sized 12 inches tall and fewer than 6 inches in width—are the perfect backdrop for this simple story and its humorous punchline. The first double-page spread shows the Little Barbarian running from left to right across the bottom of the pages toward a docile-appearing, saddled steed. Next he’s mounted, and the pair fearlessly leaps across two pages of jagged, brownish cliffs bookending a deep, bottomless ravine. They continue to move, always left to right, effortlessly through rains of arrows, above licks of flame, and past vividly painted creatures of sea and air, some mythologically inspired. Children will be delighted at Little Barbarian’s continued calm expression, even when he and his trusty horse are gliding above a group of spear-wielding cyclops. The art contains plentiful negative space around the well-crafted threats, allowing viewers to giggle nervously but not worry about any real danger. When all the frightening situations have disappeared, the rider, who has beige skin and brown hair, looks concerned for the first time. He is crying by the time he is approached by an enormous pair of light brown arms extended below a benevolent, bearded face. Is God intervening? The final spread is funny and enlightening.
Inspired pictures will, in turn, inspire wide-eyed conversations. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5509-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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by Renato Moriconi ; illustrated by Renato Moriconi
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
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by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival
by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2019
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures.
Pippa conquers a fear of the creatures that emerge from her storybooks at night.
Pippa’s “wonderfully wild imagination” can sometimes run “a little TOO wild.” During the day, she wears her “armor” and is a force to be reckoned with. But in bed at night, Pippa worries about “villains and monsters and beasts.” Sharp-toothed and -taloned shadows, dragons, and pirates emerge from her storybooks like genies from a bottle, just to scare her. Pippa flees to her parents’ room only to be brought back time and again. Finally, Pippa decides that she “needs a plan” to “get rid of them once and for all.” She decides to slip a written invitation into every book, and that night, they all come out. She tries subduing them with a lasso, an eye patch, and a sombrero, but she is defeated. Next, she tries “sashes and sequins and bows,” throwing the fashion pieces on the monsters, who…“begin to pose and primp and preen.” After that success, their fashion show becomes a nightly ritual. Clever Pippa’s transformation from scared victim of her own imagination to leader of the monster pack feels fairly sudden, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. The cartoony illustrations effectively use dynamic strokes, shadow, and light to capture action on the page and the feeling of Pippa's fears taking over her real space. Pippa and her parents are brown-skinned with curls of various textures.
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Hadley Hooper
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by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Lauren Simkin Berke
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by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Rebecca Green
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