Oddball politicians are still sometimes worth celebrating.
Moral: Odd is good.
Daniel loves to walk backward and on his hands. He eats soup for breakfast and cereal for dinner. Why he enjoys this is never explained, and of course it doesn’t need to be explained to any school-age child. But headstands are very bad behavior on a field trip to the prime minister’s house, or at least that’s what his parents and teachers say. So Daniel spends the days before the visit in training, practicing facing forward and sitting up straight. Any school-age child will see where this picture book is going, and they may place bets on when he’ll finally flip upside down. It happens close to the end, as he leans down to pick up a coin from the floor. But two pages later, the prime minister’s assistant is pointing to a photo of David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, upside down on a beach. And by the next page, the assistant is standing on his head, to applause from everyone. Even a parent or teacher might approve of the lesson: Headstands are good training for a future in politics. Unfortunately, the artwork makes the characters (with a few exceptions, light-skinned Israelis) look less free-spirited. Their body language is often stiff or contorted. But the actual historic photo of Ben-Gurion, reproduced on the final page, is whimsical and inspiring. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 74.3% of actual size.)
Oddball politicians are still sometimes worth celebrating. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5415-3470-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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