It’s a bit of a clunky story, but those colors pop, and the tone is just inspiring enough to give to a training-wheel rider...
The losing-the–training-wheels rite of passage is helped along by a mysterious white blob in this adaptation of a French picture book.
When an unnamed boy goes outside, he sees a “ball of fur wearing a pink hat [go] past on a tiny bike. He looks at me. I hop on my bike and follow him….” Before long, the creature, who looks like a yeti with two dot eyes, is eating the boy’s training wheels, causing him to learn to ride on his new “big boy’s bike.” The learning goes through the familiar stages: fear, injury, recovery, and, finally, comfort, fun, and speed. The creature is equal parts helpful and goading until he is suddenly gone, leaving the boy to go home with his new confidence in riding. The friendly white creature has no dialogue, and Pelon’s illustrations don’t make much of a character out of him. His defining trait is that hat, and though it and the other accent colors throughout the book are gorgeous, the friendship developed doesn’t feel entirely convincing. As a book to celebrate a kid’s graduation from training wheels, it feels worthy: The inside back cover includes a “Certificate for a Super Cyclist” with a blank date. The narrator is paper-white.
It’s a bit of a clunky story, but those colors pop, and the tone is just inspiring enough to give to a training-wheel rider nearing the end of that run . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-91027-773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Words & Pictures
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality.
A young White boy shares his secret talent with his classmates for the first time.
An unnamed, unidentified narrator, clearly one of the titular protagonist’s schoolmates, explains that every week at Friday Assembly, one student gets to perform for the whole school, an activity called “Sharing Gifts.” Once, Tina played her tuba; another time, Jessie did some magic; Carol delivered a stand-up routine. Now it’s John’s turn, and boy does he look nervous. In short, declarative sentences the text describes John’s preparations for his act. Once on stage, he hesitates as some kids laugh at the musical track accompanying his performance—“strings, violins and things, and then maybe flutes”—then it’s showtime. A succession of wordless, double-page spreads uses continuous narration to showcase the various poses and steps of John’s glorious ballet recital. His facial expression and body language morph as fear gives way to a joyful sense of accomplishment. Young readers will love John’s classmates’ reactions at the ending. Berube’s simple ink-and-paint illustrations have minimal background details, allowing readers to focus squarely on John and his emotions. It is truly wonderful to see a boy character in a children’s book so enthusiastic about, and accomplished at, ballet. Any child, though, who has a talent to share or struggles with performance anxiety will find a role model in John. The children are nicely diverse racially. Their teachers present White.
A lovely, empowering book about having the courage to express one’s individuality. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0395-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fantastic book-jam that delights the ear just as much as the eye.
A cumulative story with rhythm, rhyme, and a bopping bunch of percussionists.
Nearly every day, a brown-skinned man carries a conga drum across the street and plays on the beach where all can hear: “pat-a-pat-a, pat-pat.” The young narrator, who has brown skin and curly brown hair, longs to join in, but without an instrument, this seems impossible. As the narrator watches from across the street, a skateboarding djembe drummer asks to join in, followed by a woman with a shekere, a man with zills, a biking couple with maracas, and an adult and child with bongos. Each percussion instrument has its own onomatopoeic sound that undulates across the pages as the beat variations grow. Unable to resist any longer, the narrator shyly asks, “Can I jam, too?” The way the protagonist joins in changes everything. In Alcántara’s richly colorful illustrations, the blues of sky and ocean, the tan sand, and the lush, green land remain constant while the musicians add as much color as they do sound, illustrating the amazing way that making music can bring people together and create community. Alcántara effectively captures the diversity of the characters in this African diasporic setting, illustrating various skin tones, hair styles and textures, clothing styles, fabric patterns, and more. With nearly singable text, this tale beckons readers to move.
A fantastic book-jam that delights the ear just as much as the eye. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593323762
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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