Charming and spirited.
Dynamic visual design distinguishes this tale of sibling conflict in an immigrant family.
Running home from school, Rubina tells Ami (mom) the thrilling news of a birthday-party invitation. This concept’s new to Ami, but the real problem is younger sister Sana, who demands to attend as well. Ami agrees. Pouting all the way, Rubina takes Sana, who not only disrupts the games but eats both her own and Rubina’s big red lollipop party favor. Blackall’s peppy watercolor-and-pencil illustrations hum with vibrancy and a wonderful sense of children in constant motion. Every page shows fresh composition and scale. When the justifiably resentful Rubina chases Sana around the house, the pair of wee figures shows up eight times on that spread, racing from spot to spot like Hilary Knight’s Eloise. Then Sana receives an invitation herself and Ami almost makes her take even-younger sister Maryam along—but Rubina’s intervention prevents that, and Sana brings Rubina a big green lollipop in gratitude. They’re friends now, though it’s unknown whether the invitations that Rubina stopped receiving due to Sana’s antics ever recommence.
Charming and spirited. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-670-06287-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2010
This soothing ode to the power of friendship reveals that a lazy day is always better spent with the ones you love.
The grass is always greener when you have companions to share your time.
Mouse eagerly awaits the arrival of her “Special Friends” at the river's edge. Rabbit appears and offers to wait with her, and the two play happily. Other neighbors wander by and invite themselves to the impromptu gathering with pleasantly polite dialogue. “Just the weather for waiting,” smiles Frog. “May I join you?” As the day draws to a close, Mouse informs her patient friends that they, her Special Friends, have been with her all along. The appealing outdoor setting is depicted in shades of lush, robust green; the text features a lilting rhythm to illustrate the quiet hustle and bustle of the natural world. “Butterflies fluttered on the breeze. / Bees buzzed in the daisies. / Ants scuttled busily in the grass.” The emphasis is on simple pleasures; Rabbit twirls Mouse with abandon, and the buddies sprawl in the field. Characters' peaceful smiles and animated gestures capture their gentle interactions. Mouse tiptoes nose-to-nose with Frog, tugs Rabbit's ear, and whispers to Turtle while balanced precariously on a tree branch. The diminutive rodent’s engaging personality shines, though readers will wonder why Mouse was so darn cagey about the identity of the Special Friends all day long.
This soothing ode to the power of friendship reveals that a lazy day is always better spent with the ones you love. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-56148-748-6
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, if uneven, penguin picture book.
Mama Penguin loves her babies, but keeping up with all of their activities has her plain worn out.
Playing the part of a contemporary soccer mom, Mama Penguin is “very busy taking care of everybody.” Subsequent pages reveal swimming, sliding and waddling lessons, which are then followed by preening practice and fishing. By the time the last activity arrives, a picture of a beleaguered-looking Mama seems to contradict the accompanying text: “And everyone loved Saturday squawking!” In fact, Mama takes a much-needed nap in a spread depicting her prostrate on the ground with one eye closed and a single baby penguin standing watchfully nearby. The text then assures readers that Mama, now refreshed, is very proud of her babies, and she muses about how one day they’ll be able to do all the things they’re learning as well as she can. “Maybe even better,” one of the babies pipes up; the sweetness of the accompanying picture mitigates the line’s snarky tone. At this point, however, the story loses its steam as Mama wonders what will become of her once her offspring are independent, and the baby penguins reassure her that she will simply “be our Mama!” Despite the undeniable focus on the adult in the story, the uncluttered, whimsical watercolors are inviting to child readers throughout.
A sweet, if uneven, penguin picture book. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16365-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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