A strong tale about working through emotions, with realistic, child-friendly coping tips.
A girl deals with anxiety about an upcoming athletic event in this picture book.
Rudy, a White girl with brown curls, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks, wakes up feeling like she has a “belly full of bees.” She’s trained for a school relay race, but all she can think of is how she might mess it up. Mom is encouraging, but her comments don’t really help. Her friend Wyatt’s excitement about the race only makes her feel worse. Wyatt tries to say that the race is “no big deal,” which angers Rudy, who yells, “Everybody wants you on their team because you ALWAYS win! You could never, EVER understand!” As a result, she feels guilt on top of her anxiety. Then Coach Christine guides her through breathing exercises, and Rudy starts to get the bees under control enough to realize that Wyatt has anxiety sometimes, too. Schaefer realistically captures the intensity of overwhelming emotion in a child-friendly way. The bees, present in Schaefer’s descriptions and beautifully depicted in Marshall’s illustrations, are a fantastic representation of uncontrollable feelings. The paintings make excellent use of butterflies, as well, to symbolize how Rudy’s anxiety transitions to a more manageable, positive mindset. Rudy’s riotous curls look wonderful, and her classmates show a wide range of skin tones.
A strong tale about working through emotions, with realistic, child-friendly coping tips.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-03-910448-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
The visual details invite interaction, making it a good choice for storytime or solo inspection.
It’s a quiet day, until….
“I have a bot!” An excited child’s happiness is short-lived, for the remote-controlled toy escapes its wireless tether and begins an ascent up the side of a skyscraper. The building’s doorman launches a race to recover the bot, and soon everyone wants to help. Attempts to retrieve the bot, which is rendered as a red rectangle with a propeller, arms, and a rudimentary face, go from the mundanity of a broom to the absurd—a bright orange beehive hairdo and a person-sized Venus’ flytrap are just some of the silly implements the building’s occupants use to try to rein in the bot. Each double-page spread reveals another level of the building—and further visual hijinks—as the bot makes its way to the top, where an unexpected hero waits (keep an eye out for falling bananas). The tall, narrow trim size echoes the shape of the skyscraper, providing a sense of height as the bot rises. Text is minimal; short declarations in tidy black dialogue bubbles with white courier-style typeface leave the primary-colored, blocky art to effectively carry the story. Facial expressions—both human and bot—are comically spot-on. The bot-owning child has light skin, and there are several people of color among those trying to rescue the bot. One person wears a kufi.
The visual details invite interaction, making it a good choice for storytime or solo inspection. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: July 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-425-28881-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
