by Sophie Dahl ; illustrated by Lauren O'Hara ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2020
A warmhearted tale of intergenerational connection.
Is the newest resident of the Mermaid Hotel “an ancient supervillain on the run”?
Mabel, the young narrator, is an adventurer who likes to go barefoot, pockets full of small packets of marmalade and butter for snacks. When an imperious old woman, hair “red and crunchy, like a candy apple without the stickiness,” arrives with a great deal of baggage, two dogs, two cats, and a tortoise who skitters “along the floor like a man on a mission,” Mabel dubs her “Madame Badobedah (rhymes with ooooh la la).” Mabel is certain that the new occupant of Room 32 is a fugitive criminal, perhaps “an international jewel thief.” Mabel peeks in through the keyhole. But, invited in for tea, Mabel tells Madame Badobedah about the pirate Anne Bonny, and the two imagine a wild escapade on the high seas. Mabel learns that Madame Badobedah had been a ballerina and had “crossed the sea on a big ship, because there was a war.” Dahl’s voice for Mabel is young and amusingly opinionated. O’Hara’s watercolor illustrations have a retro feel, with lighthearted views of the seaside hotel, Mabel and Madame—and some mermaids. All the characters are white. The appeal of Mabel’s fanciful take on the older woman’s past grows along with their friendship, transforming the poignancy and losses of old age into something sweetly adventuresome and glamorous.
A warmhearted tale of intergenerational connection. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1022-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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by Sophie Dahl ; illustrated by Lauren O'Hara
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by Lucy Mangan ; introduction by Sophie Dahl
by Alexandra Penfold ; illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 2, 2021
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings.
The diverse group of kids from All Are Welcome (2018) this time gathers in a vacant lot with tools in hand to clear the debris and make something new. But therein lies the rub: What should the something new be? While the exact nature of the disagreement is unfortunately not made clear to readers, the big feelings that the children exhibit are very clear (and for readers who need practice reading facial clues, there’s a labeled chart of 15 in the frontmatter). This book’s refrain is “How can I help? / What can we do?” And the answers, spread over several pages and not spelled out in so many words but rather shown in the illustrations, are: talk it through, compromise, and see things from another perspective. As a guide for dealing with feelings and problem-solving, the book is a bit slim and lacks a solid story to hook readers. But, as with its predecessor, its strength is again the diversity on display in its pages. There’s a rainbow of skin tones and hair colors as well as abundant variation in hair texture, several children exhibit visible disabilities, including one child who uses a wheelchair, and there are markers of religious and cultural diversity. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.6% of actual size.)
The story’s slight but allows kids to practice identifying and dealing with their own big feelings. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-57974-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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by Alexandra Penfold ; illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
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by Alexandra Penfold ; illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
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by Alexandra Penfold ; illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.
A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.
From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063329508
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald
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by Jory John ; illustrated by Olivier Tallec
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by Jory John ; illustrated by Erin Kraan
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