This tribute to a precious flowering plant will capture readers’ hearts.
A playful, lyrical, and persuasive love letter to a dandelion.
Okemow (Nêhiyaw/Plains Cree) weaves an important message throughout this picture book that follows a dandelion through each of the four seasons: Every living thing has value and brings “joy to others.” Each season begins with the same greeting: “Dear Osâwâpikones,” Plains Cree for dandelion. Over the course of a year, a cheerful tan-skinned child, cued as Indigenous, watches as Dandelion sprouts, spreads its seeds, lies dormant in the winter, and then grows anew come spring. Referring to the flower as a “bouquet of light,” the child narrator makes clear that Dandelion is no pesky weed. As the child draws, cuddles with an adult, dances, and plays in the snow, Dandelion is always there, offering life lessons: persevere when faced with challenges; kindness connects all living things; rest and be silent while pursuing hopes and dreams. Okemow presents resilience last: “You remind me, always, we are more than just one thing. / Even when things are hard, / you still bloom.” Alliterative phrasing (“cracks in concrete,” “season of strawberries”) heightens the vivid imagery of the verse. Bright, flat colors bring the story to life; a buzzing bee that appears on various spreads helps pull the tale together. Cree terms are used throughout; a glossary is appended. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This tribute to a precious flowering plant will capture readers’ hearts. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781773217406
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
Good fun for early counters.
A one-to-10 counting book featuring a cast of active pigeons.
“One bright and sunny morning, ten pigeons” sit on a wire when along come some bees and throw them all into a tizzy. A handful of the pigeons take off—readers can count their tails in the margins of the pages—so “OK. Let’s try that again. Um, ten minus six is… …four.” Readers can see right on the wire there that if six pigeons fly off, that leaves four—math at its most accessible. Well, there are four until one finds a sandwich that lures four of the dispersed birds to return. That adds up to eight. And there they are, that now gray and cloudy morning, when it starts to rain and six pigeons fly away to seek shelter. Again, readers can count the birds to arrive at the new number, or they can work the equation that is provided: “Let's see…eight minus six is…”? On the counting game goes via interruptions into the twilight, when the narrator gives up—these pigeons won’t stay still long enough to introduce them—until it comes time to go to bed and end the story. Citro’s exasperated text works hand in glove with Watson’s comical birds to make this counting game a joy rather than a task. The narrative text expresses equations in words, and corresponding number sentences are tucked into the scenes.
Good fun for early counters. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-943147-62-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Innovation Press
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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