A nice addition to the holiday shelves.
Ari Ant lives on the preschool playground and is eager to watch and participate in his own way with the children’s activities and celebrations.
Unnoticed by the youngsters, Ari listens one afternoon as the teacher begins to read a story about the holiday Lag B’Omer. Lag Ba’Omer is a joyful day celebrated between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot and commemorated with picnics, bonfires, singing, and storytelling. The children prepare for the traditional holiday picnic through various play activities. Ari is eager to join in but is very disappointed when he bites into a hard plastic cookie, is nearly buried in a sandbox cave, and then falls into a puddle of glue. “I’m not sure I like Lag B’Omer!” remarks the little ant. But at the actual picnic at a nearby park, Ari is able to fully enjoy and partake in the food, Torah stories, and warmth of a bonfire, declaring Lag B’Omer “the perfect holiday” for an ant. As with her signature Sammy Spider, Rouss creates a character who is inconspicuous to the crowd of humans yet provides a gentle entree to the holiday with a bit of suspense and satisfying denouement for very young children; Kahn contributes cheery illustrations in her familiar, Eric Carle–style collaged art.
A nice addition to the holiday shelves. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68115-507-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Utterly artless but familiar; good for families whose children are nuts for Muppets.
The well-known Sesame Street characters visit Israel and impart information about the Passover holiday and story while on their way to a seder at the home of friends Avigail and Brosh.
After a flat tire on the bus, Grover and Big Bird decide to walk, only to get lost. On the way, they help a boy catch his runaway dog, carry groceries for an elderly woman, and convince the grouchy Moishe Oofnik to finally give them a ride to the seder with the promise of eating bitter herbs. “My favorite! Hop in.” Forced segues within this light-as-a-feather plot lead to snippets of information about the holiday and the celebratory dinner’s traditions, such as the Four Questions, the afikomen ritual and the theme of freedom. For example, worried about being late, Big Bird frets, “Yes, but now we’d really better hurry.” Grover replies, “Did you know…that the Jewish people were in a hurry when they followed Moses out of Egypt?” Familiar Muppet figures fill the commercial-looking illustrations. Bold primary colors depict Grover and Big Bird’s journey; thought-bubble sequences of the ancient Exodus are populated by bewildered-looking generic Muppet faces. Once the seder is complete, an enlightened Big Bird expresses his appreciation and wish to celebrate next year in Jerusalem.
Utterly artless but familiar; good for families whose children are nuts for Muppets. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7613-8491-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2013
Skip this treacle and opt for Rachel Rivett and Mique Moriuchi’s I Imagine (2011) or Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Sean Qualls'...
A couple of young hippopotami receive instruction in the ease and pleasure of prayer in this vapid if well-meant outing.
When Harley and Hayley spot a silhouetted pelican sitting on a roof, they think it's an angel. Upon realizing that Pouch is corporeal, Harley is disappointed. He had momentarily hoped to have a close encounter with heaven, but, "We'll NEVER get that close to God." Not so, burbles Pouch. Anyone can be close to God. "That's what prayer is for!" But Harley's book, The Rules of Prayer, say that prayer is hard, he protests. Pouch is joined by a group of kibitzing animals who, rule by rule, contradict the prescriptions in the book and offer liberating encouragement. You don't have to wear special clothes or be in a special place; you don't have to kneel or fold your hands (an especial problem for animals); you can shout and laugh in your prayers. The text is purely pedestrian, unfurling line after line of purposive dialogue. The illustrations are bland cartoons with little to no subtlety in composition, color or expression. The result is a wholly didactic package that delivers a positive and worthwhile message with no art whatsoever.
Skip this treacle and opt for Rachel Rivett and Mique Moriuchi’s I Imagine (2011) or Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Sean Qualls' Who Will I Be, Lord? (2009) for more artful treatments of children's communication with God. (Picture book/religion. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-310-72317-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
