Definitely add this to the mix to create interested world citizens.
A book to engage children in thinking about their peers the world over.
The simple text declares children’s needs and wants (homes, families, play, work, food, water) and then asks readers to think about their own lives in comparison to those depicted. Religion and beliefs are mentioned in universal ways: “Some people worship. Some people pray. Some meditate. Some like quiet time to think. Some people prefer to take life as it comes.” The glowing acrylic double-page spreads employ different layouts to add visual interest. Many small vignettes—in circles, rectangles, triangles, even drops of water—depict children from different cultures doing similar activities. Occasionally there is a large painting, such as the one about languages and communication set in a railway station, with speech bubbles indicating many languages. The translations are included in several pages of backmatter that provide further information about each spread, vital to taking this book beyond its initial first look at global diversity. Though the book omits mention of the wars (there are parents shown in uniform) and refugee situations that children face in some places, this volume should be dipped into again and again, as children are able to absorb more details. Readers may find themselves consulting a separate map, as the one included lacks sufficient detail.
Definitely add this to the mix to create interested world citizens. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-78285-296-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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