For a more reflective illustration of kindness begetting kindness, consider Jacqueline Woodson’s Each Kindness, illustrated...
Patronizing storytelling glosses over a tale of Christian kindness.
Hall retells his biography of inspirational speaker Moore (Same Kind of Different as Me, 2008) as a lesson in charity. Moore grows up on The Man’s plantation during the Great Depression, illustrated with deep colors and eye-catching images, such as a black boy with a sack of cotton as big as he is. After hopping a freight train, Moore is homeless until Hall’s wife dreams about him and finds him at a mission. Moore’s reaction is plainly touching: “Denver had never heard anyone say, ‘God loves you.’ He had never even heard someone say, ‘I love you.’ ” However, Hall’s prose is often glib; he tells without showing, and his description of plantation life borders on benevolent. When The Man gives Moore a bike in exchange for picking 100 pounds of cotton, the blistering labor is described as “extra chores”; asked if he is homeless, Moore reflects that The Man had “given him” a shack. While young children may understand chores and rewards, equating sharecropping with receiving an allowance is hugely problematic without discussion. Moore’s simple, evocative pictures tell his story best, mitigating Hall’s superficial text.
For a more reflective illustration of kindness begetting kindness, consider Jacqueline Woodson’s Each Kindness, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (2012). (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4003-2269-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
A rousing rendition of the familiar tale.
The story of Jonah and God’s command to him to warn the misbehaving people of Ninevah is retold in a rhyming narrative that brings out the reluctant prophet’s continual noncompliance.
In an introductory illustration depicting a biblical community of contentious men, Jonah looks on and disagrees with God’s request to warn them of impending consequences. “ ‘Preach,’ said Jonah. / ‘That’s not fun— / Ragging, nagging everyone.’ ” Jonah decides to run away, claiming that no one will appreciate his moralizing. He boards a ship headed in the opposite direction from Ninevah, but God’s wrath stirs a huge storm that only subsides after Jonah realizes he must leave. He allows the sailors to throw him overboard and is promptly swallowed by a huge fish. Forced to rethink his original decision, he agrees to comply with God’s command, yet after the deed is done and the repentant Ninevites have changed their wicked ways, he fumes that God decided to forgive them rather than punish them. Jonah must accept God’s rationale after he loses his own comfort under the cooling shade of a tree. The rhyming verse ably encapsulates each of Jonah’s negative and contemptuous reactions, which are followed by the refrain, “Oh no, Jonah,” meant to be shouted aloud by listeners or readers. Acrylics on textured canvas of robed and bearded men with long hooked noses and a variety of complexions create a rather stereotypical illusion of the ancient world.
A rousing rendition of the familiar tale. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7613-5139-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
This will serve well in both religious and nonreligious settings for fall curriculum support.
The annual harvest from farm to table is explored with a religious perspective, focusing on Christian harvest traditions and the Jewish celebration of Sukkot.
Crisp color photography highlights children in scenes of farming and the harvesting of fruits and vegetables. The book features several instructive points about the variety of produce available, the harvest concept and sharing. Finally, it covers two different yet corresponding religious ways to observe the harvest and thank God. Church-based harvest festivals are illustrated by the decorating of a church with various breads, wheat stalks and baskets of food. Sukkot is shown with the building and decorating of a Sukkah and how this symbol of a shelter or hut relates to the ancient Jewish celebration. An informative and eye-catching design on glossy paper offers a large, multicolored print, the majority of text blocks in black against soft pale backgrounds, with key words in bold blue; these are repeated in a vocabulary border at the bottom of each page. The text is largely framed in questions, encouraging personal response and discussion. The simplicity and functionality of the book’s premise is enhanced with an addendum of teaching suggestions for specific pages and more detailed background information about the concepts presented.
This will serve well in both religious and nonreligious settings for fall curriculum support. (websites, index) (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-237-54373-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Evans/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
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