This illustrated tale provides a tantalizing peek at Paris through the eyes of a charming protagonist and her stuffed sloth.
An enthusiastic young girl and her talking, stuffed-animal companion explore Paris in this debut picture book.
Aya wakes up and gets ready for a big day of traveling—to Paris. Aya, a dark-skinned girl with curly hair (brushed into a topknot by her Papa) and glasses, appears to be about 5 years old. Her traveling companion, Pete, is a chatty stuffed sloth. Together with her parents, Aya and Pete learn to count to 10 in French and visit many well-known landmarks, including the Jardin de Luxembourg, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. In this series opener, the mother-daughter team of Gore and Minott integrates French words into the text, sometimes explaining them for readers in Aya’s thoughts. Other times, as with food and location names, they let the illustrations show the meanings. Aya’s world is full of love—her parents are always present without being in the way of her adventures—and she and Pete have a comical relationship. Travel picture books require a lot of text to create a proper framework, but the authors’ use of an accessible vocabulary will keep readers from becoming overwhelmed. Búzio’s (Be More Sloth, 2018, etc.) painted images beautifully capture both the busy city and Aya and Pete’s bond.
This illustrated tale provides a tantalizing peek at Paris through the eyes of a charming protagonist and her stuffed sloth.Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9992236-0-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Ashima Inc. D/B/A Ashima Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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