A thoughtfully crafted story that offers a gentle means to talk about loss with children.
When her grandmother isn’t able to sing and dance anymore, a young girl finds a way to keep their music alive in Pova’s (If I Weren’t with You, 2017, etc.) picture book.
Music and dancing make the days pass quickly for Sarah and her grandma, who spin, skip, chant, and croon in the park and the living room, among wildflowers, and at their annual Fall Festival performance. But as time passes, Sarah’s grandmother can’t move and sing like she used to. Sarah, with her mother’s encouragement, learns that although her grandmother can’t join her onstage, she’ll still be there through the music they share. With warm colors and soft backdrops, Allen’s (Penny Helps...Protect the Polar Ice Caps, 2015, etc.) illustrations subtly show the seasons’ progression, emphasizing gradual loss; although Sarah and her grandmother’s song and dance are constants, the leaves shift from green to orange. The emphasis on simplicity effectively captures the emotion in the characters’ facial expressions and imbues Pova’s story with a hint of bittersweet nostalgia. Although the text sometimes lacks the musicality that’s so integral to the tale, the seamless integration of words, illustrations, and emotions makes for a heartwarming book.
A thoughtfully crafted story that offers a gentle means to talk about loss with children.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-946101-35-8
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Spork
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
The Buehners retell the old familiar tale with a jump-roping, rhyme-spouting Goldilocks. When their porridge proves to be too hot to eat, the bear family goes for a stroll. Meanwhile, Goldilocks comes knocking to find a jump-roping friend. This Goldilocks does not simply test out the chairs: “Big chair, middle chair, little chair, too, / Somebody’s here to bounce on you!” And so continues the old favorite, interspersed with Goldilocks’s jump-rope verse. When she escapes through the bedroom window, none of the characters are sure what sort of creature they have just encountered. The Buehner’s homey illustrations perfectly capture the facial expressions of the characters, and lend a particular kind of mischief to Goldilocks. Readers may miss the message on the copyright page, but hidden within each picture are three creatures, instantly adding challenge and appeal. Cute, but there’s not quite enough new here to make it a must. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8037-2939-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2007
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
