In Hodges’ quirky debut children’s book, a girl and her animated head of hair battle for the spotlight on picture day.
Young Ange-Marie has a secret that makes her unique among other children: Her coiffure has a mind of its own. The great big ball of hair on Ange-Marie’s head, affectionately referred to by Ange-Marie as “the Poof,” has mischievous ideas and energy. The Poof can change shapes, creating sculptures on Ange-Marie’s head—a big cloud, a bird, a flower, a question mark. The Poof is even capable of audibly communicating with Ange-Marie. The two struggle at times with their opposite agendas: When Ange-Marie wants to brush her teeth, the Poof wants to play. When Ange wants to eat breakfast, the Poof wants to fly up to the ceiling. Gentry’s colorful, popping images playfully convey the characters’ disputes, as bright shades of fuchsia and purple create a vibrant background. When it comes time for picture day at school, Ange-Marie asserts that she will be the one in charge of how she and the Poof are portrayed. Not everyone knows about her magical hair’s mind of its own, she says, so it’s best that the hair just be hair. However, as usual, the Poof has ideas of its own, and their conflicting plans become a playful battle for artistic control in the school portrait. Hodge’s simple sentence structure makes this an accessible story for beginning readers. The short, easy-to-follow story could also be read aloud by caregivers or teachers to younger children. There is no clear, overarching moral, though children may be inspired by Ange-Marie’s embracing her individuality, as she tames her quirky side while staying true to herself. In such a whimsical, light story, young children are likely to be amused by the goofiness of hair that lives its own life. A silly, imaginative story about individuality, best enjoyed by beginning readers.
Pub Date: June 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4836-5206-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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