A fine but unexceptional picture book for families experiencing sibling friction.
A child struggles with jealousy when his younger brother requires more attention in Ke’s picture book.
Eight-year-old (light-skinned and dark-haired) Sheldon Forrest’s mom has set an exciting challenge for him and his 6-year-old brother, Milo: a scavenger hunt. They must search for missing stuffed animal Thunderhoof by following a series of clues that start at the family mailbox. While Sheldon is ready to race off after solving the first riddle, his mom stays behind with Milo to help him. Instantly, Sheldon is outraged: “Mom always helped Milo. Sheldon had to do stuff by himself! She neverspent time with him.” Sheldon storms off to solve the next puzzle by himself and loses his cool when his mom seemingly ignores his feat of strength as he holds up a heart-shaped paving stone. After shouting at her, he runs away to his treehouse to be alone. His mom seeks him out to reassure him that, even though Milo may need a little more assistance, she will always be there to support Sheldon, too. While the simple story may not be terribly memorable, its message should resonate with children in the throes of sibling rivalry. Ame’s digital illustrations emphasize Sheldon’s big emotions, depicting lightning bolts emerging from his mouth when he shouts and a large heart appearing as he reconciles with his mom.
A fine but unexceptional picture book for families experiencing sibling friction.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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
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