Unfortunate images compromise this ninja mission. Look to Sanae Ishida’s Chibi Samurai series for cultural accuracy and...
Aspiring ninjas attend camp, where they hone their skills and guard the coveted Shadow Blade.
A multicultural group of kids and their teacher arrive in a bamboo forest littered with tents, “Ninja Camp is finally here!” Evenly paced rhymes narrate as the students practice throwing ninja stars and work on strength training. Their teacher challenges them: “Are you fierce and unafraid? / Will you guard the Shadow Blade?” The real test comes when a rival camp steals the blade, calling for a battle showdown. The simple plot reads well aloud. Bright, digitally rendered characters against the colorful natural landscapes will keep readers’ eyes engaged. There are visual missteps, however. Liberal artistic license is taken in the styling of the ninja clothing, eschewing classical Japanese attire despite ninjitsu’s cultural origins. During training, the student with the darkest skin tone is shown last in line, while their white classmate leads. On the same page, another white student overtakes a distressed student of color during a run. The final honor of the Shadow Blade is bestowed on the white student who acts as focal character; this child perches on a rock while a student of color looks up in admiration. The culmination of these portrayals makes for a regrettable message.
Unfortunate images compromise this ninja mission. Look to Sanae Ishida’s Chibi Samurai series for cultural accuracy and quirky ninja fun. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6331-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions.
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.
In an imaginative ruse that’s maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle–themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and “the boosters fire.” They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. “I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates.” Though he’s afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either—the escape hatch beckons, but NASA’s saying gets him through: “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers’ stomach muscles will ache: “[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot.” Prigmore’s digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer’s crewmates are a motley assortment of “aliens”—among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1893-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug.
What to do when you’re a prickly animal hankering for a hug? Why, find another misfit animal also searching for an embrace!
Sweet but “tricky to hug” little Hedgehog is down in the dumps. Wandering the forest, Hedgehog begs different animals for hugs, but each rejects them. Readers will giggle at their panicked excuses—an evasive squirrel must suddenly count its three measly acorns; a magpie begins a drawn-out song—but will also be indignant on poor hedgehog’s behalf. Hedgehog has the appealingly pink-cheeked softness typical of Dunbar’s art, and the gentle watercolors are nonthreatening, though she also captures the animals’ genuine concern about being poked. A wise owl counsels the dejected hedgehog that while the prickles may frighten some, “there’s someone for everyone.” That’s when Hedgehog spots a similarly lonely tortoise, rejected due to its “very hard” shell but perfectly matched for a spiky new friend. They race toward each other until the glorious meeting, marked with swoony peach swirls and overjoyed grins. At this point, readers flip the book to hear the same gloomy tale from the tortoise’s perspective until it again culminates in that joyous hug, a book turn that’s made a pleasure with thick creamy paper and solid binding.
Watching unlikely friends finally be as “happy as two someones can be” feels like being enveloped in your very own hug. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-571-34875-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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