by Stacey Previn ; illustrated by Stacey Previn ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2016
Like the fruitcake-flavored flakes, pass on this one.
An imaginative look at snowflakes and what we might do with them if they tasted of anything but winter.
“If snowflakes tasted like chestnuts… / I would roast them by the fire. // If snowflakes tasted like gingerbread… / I would make a cookie choir.” From sugar-plum snowflakes dancing in the narrator’s head and cocoa snowflakes warming the toes to apple flakes baked in a pie and chicken-soup ones slurped up, Previn explores different tastes and textures for this wintertime staple. But not all her comparisons make sense, and at least one is distressingly ignorant: marshmallow snowflakes that are lighter than feathers and whipped-cream flakes that tickle the nose aren’t a whole lot different than real snowflakes, and “If snowflakes tasted like honey… / then we wouldn’t need the bees” overlooks the important role bees play in pollination. The creative digital artwork is both generally retro-feeling and actively reminiscent of A Snowy Day. The backgrounds are either tone-on-tone snowflakes or woodgrain, and the child has a medium-brown skin tone and black hair and wears a bright red suit, hat, and scarf combo that pops off the pages.
Like the fruitcake-flavored flakes, pass on this one. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0180-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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by Stacey Previn ; illustrated by Stacey Previn
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by Joan Holub & illustrated by Jan Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to...
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.
At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6660-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Laurie Keller
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Daniel Roode
by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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by Meg Medina ; adapted by Mel Valentine Vargas ; illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas ; color by Mary Lee Fenner
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by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Gillian Flint
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