Much ado about a lot of stuff most youngsters won’t fully get or appreciate.
Nothing equals something.
Pals Oona and Otto visit the Museum of Nothing. In the Nobody Room, they’re greeted by a sign featuring lines from Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” and a “statue” of the Invisible Man “stands” on a base. (Otto shakes hands.) The Blank Library contains books with empty pages, while the Zero Wing displays works of art that depict the number zero in several languages (along with a portrait of actor Zero Mostel, his head shaped like a zero). The kids visit the gift shop and, upon arriving home, announce they saw NOTHING! at the museum. This cheeky, overly hip metaphysical journey will appeal to adults more than children—though the Hall of Holes is kid-level fun—and will require much explaining from grown-ups. References to “Yayoi, Kaholo, and Ono” on a sign will likely go over youngsters’ heads, as will Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None in the Blank Library. An appendix, “The Catalog of the Museum of Nothing,” is a boon, even for adults. Still, crisp ink and digitally colored illustrations include numerous cleverly embedded zeroes and letter Os to represent the concept of “nothing”; children will enjoy scouring the pages to locate them and may want to illustrate their own ideas about nothingness. Blond, pale-skinned Oona and dark-haired, brown-skinned Otto wear clothes featuring zeroes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Much ado about a lot of stuff most youngsters won’t fully get or appreciate. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781662651441
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Minerva/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early...
Elephant and Piggie make an appearance to introduce the first in their new series, an egalitarian introduction to superlatives.
Each one of seven blades of talking grass—of a total of eight—discovers that it is superb at something: it’s tallest, curliest, silliest, and so forth. The humor aims to appeal to a broad spectrum. It is slightly disturbing that one being eaten by purple bugs is proud of being the crunchiest, but that will certainly appeal to a slice of the audience. The eighth blade of grass is grappling with a philosophical identity crisis; its name is Walt, a sly reference to Whitman's Leaves of Grass that will go right over the heads of beginning readers but may amuse astute parents or teachers. Tension builds with the approach of a lawn mower; the blades of grass lose their unique features when they are trimmed to equal heights. Mercifully, they are chopped off right above the eyes and can continue their silly banter. Departing from the image of a Whitman-esque free spirit, Walt now discovers he is the neatest. Lots of speech bubbles, repetition, and clear layout make this entry a useful addition to lessons on adjectives and superlatives while delivering a not-so-subtle message that everyone is good at something. Elephant and Piggie's final assertion that “this book is the FUNNIEST” doesn't necessarily make it so, however.
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2635-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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