A middling morality story despite a strong message about the power of a single act of kindness.
Elementary-schooler Peter starts a chain reaction of generosity by giving his lunch away in Johnston’s debut picture book.
Peter is the new kid at school, and he sticks out for a reason: His family is poor. His father is a shoemaker, and his mother is a breadmaker; together they make ends meet as best they can. One day Peter reveals during lunchtime that all he has to eat are two slices of bread, and the other kids tease him. Later he meets a student who has no lunch at all: “My name is Mark, and I am so hungry. My mom and dad have no work because there aren’t any jobs available.” Peter shares his bread with Mark, which inspires his mother to begin baking bread especially for Mark’s family. These actions spark a series of good deeds that ultimately benefit both Peter’s and Mark’s families. Johnston’s moral tale is simple and inspiring. There are some improbable aspects; it seems unlikely that Peter’s family could financially support Mark’s. Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt plays on the same themes, but maintains focus on acts of kindness where Johnston does not. Thompson’s illustrations are full of bright colors with cartoon-like characters whose positioning interplays with the text, such as when the words “They were all so happy,” curve up the side of a tree.
A middling morality story despite a strong message about the power of a single act of kindness.Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-03-916804-6
Page Count: 30
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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