Some children will demand a more traditional ending, but readers with a contemplative nature—or at least a sense of...
This Israeli import may set a new record for delayed gratification.
For a little while, the book feels like a story with no ending: In ancient Jerusalem, a tailor is mending a robe for the High Priest. His son, Itamar, notices that the robe is missing a bell on its hem and searches for it all over the city, but he never finds it. That seems like the place where the story has to end. A bell from Biblical times can never be replaced. But the final page of the book introduces a young archaeologist who, in 2011, spots something “gleaming in the dirt in an ancient drainage ditch.” Some readers will be frustrated by the delayed ending. It takes the resolution completely out of Itamar’s hands. But Itamar seems more bemused than distraught. The closing pages of the story show him as a gray-haired man, telling his children about the bell that was “lost and never found.” Philosophical readers may take this as an important lesson: Don’t hold on too tightly to the things you’ve lost. And the illustrations are extraordinary. Abolafia has simplified the characters’ anatomy to a few basic, lovely strokes of the pen, and he’s chosen a remarkable variety of browns to represent the range of people in the Middle East.
Some children will demand a more traditional ending, but readers with a contemplative nature—or at least a sense of humor—will be more than satisfied. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2612-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
A beautifully written page-turner about belonging.
Badir, a newly arrived Tunisian immigrant to Canada, rallies along with his classmates to save a beaver’s natural habitat from destruction by local residents annoyed by the animal’s constant damage to surrounding trees.
Badir is captivated by what he initially thinks is a huge, swimming rat, an animal he briefly spotted in a pond on his way back from school. With the help of the internet, his teacher, classmates, and also forthcoming strangers eager to share what they know, Badir soon learns that the little creature he spied in darkness is in fact a beaver, Canada’s national symbol. He also finds out that local residents, worried by how the beaver might harm the trees around its habitat, are starting a petition to have what they regard as a pest removed from the park. Unfazed by the task ahead, Badir, along with his classmates, organizes a countercampaign—brainstorming sessions, banners, and all. Who will ultimately get the upper hand? Will the beaver saga have a happy ending? With her gentle tale, Stewart does an excellent job at promoting cultural understanding, not only by foregrounding a young Muslim character and his family, but also by setting the story during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, introducing the reader to many of its facets and doing so with effortless grace. Gendron’s black-and-white illustrations depict a multiracial urban setting.
A beautifully written page-turner about belonging. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1727-2
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book about Diwali that doesn’t quite crackle.
A girl finds new ways to celebrate a beloved festival.
Diwali is Priya’s favorite holiday, but things feel different now that she’s no longer in India. It’s quiet, and as she looks out the window, she reminisces about past celebrations of Diwali, which were infused with color and noise. But as her mother gets ready for the festival in their new home, Priya feels her spirits rise. The preparations attract the attention of neighbors, whom Priya and her family welcome into their home to join in the celebrations. From drawing colorful rangolis to cleaning the house to welcome the goddess Lakshmi to lighting the clay lamps, the book offers an easy-to-understand explanation of the festival. The text is simple and unfussy, complemented by illustrations in a similar vein. Though the ending, with Priya’s family celebrating in their new community, is sweet, it feels abrupt; there’s little context about the new neighborhood, and readers aren’t introduced to the guests. The result is a gentle yet pat tale. Priya and her family are Indian; their neighbors vary in terms of ethnicity, ability, and body type. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A book about Diwali that doesn’t quite crackle. (information about Diwali, glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5064-8407-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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