by Samuel Caraballo & illustrated by Thelma Muraida ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 30, 2012
A charming, if idealized tale highlighting a situation familiar to many children
This bilingual tale captures the loving relationship of two latchkey siblings.
In a first-person narration, Pablito describes how his sister Anita takes care of him while his parents work in a factory to “sew jeans for the whole world.” After Anita wakes him up, Pablito brushes his teeth, dresses for school and ties his own shoes. In the kitchen, he eats the oatmeal his sister has made, and then the two walk down the street to the bus stop. Pablito picks some flowers for Anita along the way then boards the bus for school. The story skips ahead to the end of Pablito’s school day, with his sister meeting him at his bus and the pair returning to their house, where Anita helps her brother with homework. A friendly soccer game with two boys follows, before the siblings eat reheated leftovers for dinner. Pablito showers and asks his sister for a bedtime story and a song. After he falls asleep, his parents return and thank Anita for the wonderful care she has given to Pablito. Caraballo’s narrative is well-paced, although the flow is marred by occasionally awkward onomatopoeia. English text precedes the Spanish translation, often complemented by small illustrations highlighting Muraida’s artwork on the facing pages.
A charming, if idealized tale highlighting a situation familiar to many children . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55885-750-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012
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by Laurie Berkner ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2017
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands.
Berkner’s children’s song gets the picture-book treatment with illustrations from Garoche.
What kid hasn’t made a massive pillow fort and imagined all sorts of adventures? Well, Berkner’s premise is that there is a land where everything is made of pillows, and three lucky children get to visit there. (They appear to be siblings, perhaps a blended family: Mom and one girl are black; Dad, one boy, and one girl are white.) The illustrations transition between depictions of obvious imaginative play in a bedroom to a fantasy world and back again at the end, when the parents peek in at the three asleep. Garoche’s art consists of photos of papercut artwork arranged in dioramas with some Photoshop details. Reminiscent of Michael Garland’s work (though more pastel in color) or that of Elly McKay (though less ethereal), the illustrations are a mixed bag, with layers and hard edges juxtaposed against all the pillows. The king and queen of the song are obviously stand-ins for the parents. Children who know the tune may not sit still for a reading, while those who don’t may wonder at the repeated refrain.
For Berkner’s fans; there are much better books about children visiting imaginative lands. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6467-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 2015
A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy.
The celebrated picture-book artist enthusiastically joins the nonsense tradition.
Carle’s nearly 50-year career has produced myriad concept books about counting, the alphabet, and colors, as well as simple, original stories, retellings of fairy tales, and picture books that push the physical boundaries of the form. This latest proves that Carle can reinvent himself as a creator in the field, as he now revels in the absurd, eschewing any pretense of teaching a concept or even engaging with story. Instead, spread after spread uses nonsensical text and sublimely ridiculous pictures to provoke laughter and head-shaking delight. In addition to the book’s title, art immediately cues the book’s silly tone: the cover displays one of Carle’s signature collages against an empty white background; it depicts a duckling emerging from a peeled-back banana peel. The title-page art presents a deer sprouting flowers rather than antlers from its head. When the book proper begins, and language joins illustration, readers are ushered into a series of situations and scenarios that upend expectations and play with conventions. “Ouch! Who’s that in my pouch?” asks a kangaroo with a little blond child instead of a joey in her pouch. Another scene shows two snakes, joined at the middle and looking for their respective tails.
A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-17687-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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