Stunning, poetic, and playful, this one is a delight for all ages.
A joint introduction to fine art and the importance of sleep.
This exquisite board book will retain its visual value forever—certainly long after children have moved on beyond the format. That said, the simple concepts in this book are conveyed with an elegance, wonder, and joy that complement the artwork perfectly. The book is separated into five thematic sections, each introduced in bold on a bright, monochromatic page with a simple statement or phrase: “Everyone sleeps”; “You need to sleep...”; “If you don’t sleep enough, you may feel...”; “It’s bedtime when...”; and “Dream!” Works reflecting each of these themes follow, as the text amplifies or completes the thought. The consequences of lack of sleep are portrayed by, among others, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, Picasso’s Weeping Woman, and Matisse’s Still Life With Sleeping Woman, which is accompanied by the warning, “But don’t fall asleep in your food!” Other featured artists include, among others, Hiroshige, Takashi Murakami, Diego Rivera, Georgia O’Keefe, Winslow Homer, Jordan Casteel, David Hockney, Keith Haring, Horace Pippen, and Paola Pivi (represented by an installation of life-size, neon, stuffed bears). The portraits included reflect a mix of races, primarily white and black, with one Latinx mother and child and one Asian child.
Stunning, poetic, and playful, this one is a delight for all ages. (Board book. 2-8)Pub Date: May 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7865-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Every child can benefit from these important strategies.
Ollie is only a puppy, and his barefooted child is having trouble soothing and training him.
Ollie can get overly excited or very anxious—which wouldn’t be such a problem if he wasn’t constantly barking inside his person’s head! He yaps for no reason and wants to run and jump when he should be calm and quiet. What happens when the puppy controls the child and not the other way around? “AWOOO!” The narrator, who has brown skin and dark brown hair, mirrors the frantic antics of the puppy until the application of mindfulness techniques helps mellow out the two friends. Gravel uses the analogy of an exuberant puppy to help young children get the upper hand on a stressed and anxious mind. The puppy analogy devolves at times to cutesy: “I love Ollie. He’s such a good puppy. He is my best friend.” Nevertheless, coping mechanisms are effectively introduced. The author demonstrates how the mind can be calmed by using breathing practices—the child calls their breath a “magical leash”—physical exercise, and focus. Gravel’s signature black-outlined, comics-style drawings and oversized, colorful text stand out against generous negative space. The golden, long-eared puppy’s expressive features (bugged eyes and lolling red tongue) and cavorting, stubby-legged body successfully convey kinetic energy overload. The subtitle’s a bit of a misnomer, as anxiety relief rather than mindfulness is the focus, but the advice is sound, buttressed by a brief afterword from a pediatrician. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-17.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Every child can benefit from these important strategies. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-303767-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
Sure to encourage readers to eat their veggies and join Michelle Obama’s table, even if all they start with is a cup.
A young readers’ introduction to the work and legacy of former first lady Michelle Obama.
Miller opens with young Michelle Robinson and her brother as children riding their bicycles. “Before Michelle Obama was the First Lady, she was a kid just like you,” she writes, making her subject immediately accessible to young readers. The future first lady is seen enjoying a healthy diet full of veggies as a child and providing the same experience for her own family as an adult. The family exercises and eats home-cooked meals together, with Barack Obama and their daughters asking for more, just as Michelle Obama had done as a child. Miller describes how Michelle Obama sought assistance from White House chefs and gardeners and how she invited local students (depicted as a diverse group) to join in building and maintaining the garden. The bright cartoon illustrations detail both the tools needed and the work involved in building the lush garden. An author’s note shares additional information about the first lady’s garden, a 2010 photo of Michelle Obama at work in it, and a graphic guide to starting a garden with seeds planted in paper cups. Also included is a photo of Michelle Obama from 2010, working with a group of students in the White House garden. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 60.2% of actual size.)
Sure to encourage readers to eat their veggies and join Michelle Obama’s table, even if all they start with is a cup. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-45857-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
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