A cute story about learning how to enjoy games and appreciate new friends, featuring an admirable moral for young children.
A fun, gentle children’s story about learning to enjoy games whether you win or lose.
Everyone likes to win, but Amy refuses to lose. She expects everyone to let her win every game, and other kids, her parents and teachers live in fear of her tantrums. But one day, a new babysitter decides to teach Amy how to enjoy playing games rather than just winning them. The babysitter who finally stands up to Amy isn’t mean; she’s actually kind and patient, even as the little girl yells. Amy realizes that she enjoys the process of playing a game after the babysitter, rather than simply giving in to her like everyone else does, challenges her to think and learn. This story would be great for parents to read with their children, especially those preparing for preschool or kindergarten, since learning how to lose gracefully is an important part of socialization. Also, since the babysitter is an older girl—not a parent or teacher—she’s also able to be more like a friend, which reinforces the fact that games can be a bonding experience, not just educational activities among friends. The bright, cheerful illustrations are delightfully simple, though the backgrounds are a bit dull; young readers would probably appreciate more variation in the drawings, too. Also, readers would most likely appreciate slightly more specific descriptions of what games Amy and the babysitter play together. However, neither of these issues are enough to detract from the fun book’s readability.
A cute story about learning how to enjoy games and appreciate new friends, featuring an admirable moral for young children.Pub Date: June 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-0988744400
Page Count: 52
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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