A sincere message of human diversity and interconnectedness, delivered with cozy simplicity and accessibility for young...
In this picture book, early childhood educator Qayumi (Afsana Seesana, 2014) depicts the everyday lives of kids from around the world in order to celebrate their similarities despite diverse customs and cultures.
This work begins by relating how children in different countries dress, eat, talk, sleep, and play, pointing out how they don’t always do things quite the same way as everyone else, “but with a little bit of a difference.” The focus then shifts, picking up a new refrain as it points out the things children do that are the same: they laugh, shout, cry, love, and dream “just like you and me.” Books about diversity and the similarities that connect us are a common subgenre of children’s literature. Qayumi may not offer anything new on the subject, but her work is an agreeable addition. The author’s message is made more meaningful, though, by her personal history: born in Afghanistan, she says she learned “at an early age that ethnicity does not determine who we are. Underneath all our beautiful diverse attributes we should be equally respected for being human.” Illustrator Cheng (Kokodiko, 2015), a graphic designer, works in soft-hued watercolors to contribute an array of happy, doll-like children with unfinished hands, rudimentary facial features, and uneven proportions—a style choice that has an awkward charm and contrasts with the detailed clothing from different lands and the delicate, expertly painted settings. The illustrations alternate with pages of text printed in clear black lettering stretching across squares of sunny yellow, set within frames of saturated colors. With its clarity of design, simple sentences, repeated refrains, and healthy message, this gentle book will be particularly suitable for early readers.
A sincere message of human diversity and interconnectedness, delivered with cozy simplicity and accessibility for young readers.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4520-8397-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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