A reminder that wisdom comes in different forms and from different sources.
Sometimes slowness wins out over speed.
Hamor, a donkey belonging to Egypt’s renowned Rabbi Moses Maimonides, unhurriedly carries his master to the sultan’s palace daily and learns much from the wise thoughts he expresses aloud. One day, the sultan asks the rabbi to write a medical book, but he has little time, so the sultan provides a sleek horse to deliver the rabbi to the palace more swiftly. Good news for the rabbi, sorrowful news for Hamor, who misses hearing the rabbi’s lessons. The rabbi isn’t altogether pleased, however, agreeing that the rapid horse allows him more time for writing—but less time for thinking. He realizes that he requires slower-paced journeys to gather his thoughts while traveling: Riding Hamor is his “only time for thinking in [his] whole day.” In the end, perhaps it’s Hamor who teaches a wise scholar a valuable lesson? This thought-provoking tale will be especially welcome in Jewish school and synagogue-library collections as an introduction to the acclaimed 12th-century Spanish-born Sephardic Jewish scholar-philosopher Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (also called Maimonides). Based on Maimonides’ own writing, it advances a gentle, respectful message about human-animal relationships. Architectural and apparel styles, vegetation, and decorative motifs strongly evoke the Middle Eastern setting; yellow ocher, russets, and orange-browns convey the warm hues of desert sands. Humans, Hamor, and animal characters are expressive; the people are brown-skinned.
A reminder that wisdom comes in different forms and from different sources. (historical note; portrait of Rabbi Moses Maimonides) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781728445595
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful role model for aspiring inventors.
In this collaboration from mother/daughter duo Corrigan and Corrigan Lichty, a youngster longs to quit the soccer team so she can continue dreaming up more inventions.
Marianne, a snazzily dressed young maker with tan skin, polka-dot glasses, and reddish-brown hair in two buns, feels out of place on the pitch. Her soccer-loving dad signed her up for the team, but she’d much rather be home tinkering and creating. One day she feigns illness to get out of practice (relying on a trick she learned from the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and uses her newfound time to create a flying machine made from bath towels, umbrellas, cans, and more. Eventually, her dad catches wind of her deception, and she tells him she prefers inventing to playing soccer. Immediately supportive, he plops a pot on his head and becomes Marianne’s tinkering apprentice. Told in lilting rhymes, the story resolves its conflicts rather speedily (Marianne confesses to hating soccer in one swift line). Though the text is wordy at times, it’s quite jaunty, and adults (and retro-loving kids) will chuckle at the ’80s references, from the Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing movie posters in Marianne’s room to the name of her dog, Patrick Swayze. True to Marianne’s creative nature, Sweetland surrounds her with lots of clutter and scraps, as well as plenty of bits and bobs. One never knows where inspiration will strike next.
A thoughtful role model for aspiring inventors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593206096
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in.
A noisy barnyard is no place for a nap!
Poor pig, all he wants to do is take a short snooze. However, there seems to be something going on around him. Each of his farm friends is making noise of one kind or another. “Hen wants to saw.” “Dog wants to tap.” “Hog wants to hum.” Pig looks closer and closer to fainting from exhaustion until he spies some drinking straws and has an idea. He sinks himself in his mud puddle and breathes through a straw snorkel. He’s finally able to catch some Z’s…but all those barnyard noises had a purpose: prep for a piggy birthday celebration. So much for napping! Long’s entry in the I Like to Read series tells its simple tale in 47 words, nearly all of which are of the single-syllable, easy-to-sound-out variety. Bright pastel-and-primary full-bleed illustrations featuring big-eyed farm folk will keep eyes on the page during storytime or guided independent reading. The visual humor and the easy-reading text make this a winner for readers just starting out.
Proving even pooped piggies are ready to party, this will make children want to join in. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2428-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
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