A solid addition to the small collection of Zionist picture books.
A fictionalized account of the first public performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1936.
Uri, bored at his parents’ delicatessen, walks with his grandmother through Tel Aviv. Unable to converse, since Uri’s grandmother speaks German and Uri does not, they communicate mainly through gestures from Grandma and guesses from Uri. Grandma seems to know where she wants to go, but Uri’s not so sure: “Maybe she’s following the men with the funny-shaped cases.” The men with the funny-shaped cases are, indeed, what Grandma is interested in, and after several detours, Uri and Grandma find themselves at the first-ever performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Shem-Tov and Sandbank’s text (in an uncredited translation) relies on a presumed understanding of the significance of newly formed Israel to pack their emotional punch, never explicitly saying why Grandma is so moved by and invested in this performance. Blues, greens, and yellows make up the primary palette of Ofer’s soft, mixed-media illustrations—reminiscent of the work of Peter H. Reynolds—with painted backgrounds and thin outlines conveying a steady gentleness. All characters are as white as the paper on which they’re printed, although the vast majority are presumably Jewish. While Uri’s first-person rhetorical questioning feels more forced and less exciting than perhaps intended, the soothing illustrations convey a calm not contemporarily associated with Israel.
A solid addition to the small collection of Zionist picture books. (historical note, photographs) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5124-0099-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
Low-key and gentle; a book to be thankful for.
Spinelli lists many things for which people are thankful.
The pictures tell a pleasing counterpoint to this deceptively simple rhyme. It begins “The waitress is thankful for comfortable shoes. / The local reporter, for interesting news.” The pictures show a little girl playing waitress to her brother, who playacts the reporter. The news gets interesting when the girl trips over the (omnipresent) cat. As the poem continues, the Caucasian children and their parents embody all the different roles and occupations it mentions. The poet is thankful for rhyme and the artist, for light and color, although the girl dancer is not particularly pleased with her brother’s painterly rendition of her visual art. The cozy hotel for the traveler is a tent for the siblings in the backyard, and the grateful chef is their father in the kitchen. Even the pastor (the only character mentioned who is not a family member) is grateful, as he is presented with a posy from the girl, for “God’s loving word.” The line is squiggly and energetic, with pastel color and figures that float over white space or have whole rooms or gardens to roam in. Both children, grateful for morning stories, appear in a double-page spread surrounded by books and stuffed toys as their mother reads to them—an image that begs to be a poster.
Low-key and gentle; a book to be thankful for. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-310-00088-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Visually appealing but doesn’t capture the spirit of namaste.
What does it mean to say namaste?
This picture book attempts to explain this traditional, formal greeting used in South and Southeast Asia to welcome people and bid them farewell—in particular, as a way to show respect to elders. A child with dark hair, dark eyes, deep-brown skin, and a bindi on their forehead goes to a market with their caregiver and buys a potted plant to give their lonely, lighter-skinned neighbor. Vibrant, textured illustrations depict a blossoming friendship between the little one and the neighbor, while a series of statements describe what namaste means to the child. However, the disjointed text makes the concept difficult for young readers to grasp. Some statements describe namaste in its most literal sense (“Namaste is ‘I bow to you.’ " “Namaste is joining your palms together”), while others are more nebulous (“A yoga pose. A practice.” “Namaste calms your heart when things aren’t going right”). The lack of backmatter deprives readers of the cultural context and significance of this greeting as well as knowledge of the countries and cultures where it is used. Moreover, the book doesn’t convey the deep respect that this greeting communicates. The absence of culturally specific details and the framing of namaste as a concept that could apply to almost any situation ultimately obscure its meaning and use. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Visually appealing but doesn’t capture the spirit of namaste. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1783-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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