Parents seeking ways to discuss a loved one’s death with their children should find this touching tale, with its analogy of...
A boy finds a way to deal with his beloved grandfather’s death when he sees two birds separated on the subway in this debut picture book.
The difference between an unnamed child’s summers with his grandfather in a small Texas town and daily life in the city is huge. When the boy visits Pop, it’s his job to help load the delivery truck; after work, the two eat lunch at a cafe together. They are so much alike that the waitress calls them “birds of a feather.” After Pop dies, the boy goes to the funeral, but he knows it’s not his grandfather in the casket “because he didn’t smile at me once.” Angry, hurt, and sad, the boy doesn’t know how to cope with his grief until he sees two birds trapped on the subway. When the pair become separated at different stops, he identifies with the one still on the train, recognizing her fear and the loneliness in himself. After she escapes, he wonders how she will cope—but realizes that even if she can’t find her mate, life is still a big adventure. Crice captures the complexity of a child’s feelings with expert precision, taking a tough experience and exploring it with honesty, never flinching from the hard emotions. The soft-colored pencil and acrylic images by debut illustrator Rakatansky—which mostly show landscapes, cityscapes, and animals—match the story’s gentle tone perfectly.
Parents seeking ways to discuss a loved one’s death with their children should find this touching tale, with its analogy of lost birds, useful in grappling with a difficult topic.Pub Date: May 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9996853-0-3
Page Count: 27
Publisher: DoveTale Press
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Wonderful, indeed
A love song to baby with delightful illustrations to boot.
Sweet but not saccharine and singsong but not forced, Martin’s text is one that will invite rereadings as it affirms parental wishes for children while admirably keeping child readers at its heart. The lines that read “This is the first time / There’s ever been you, / So I wonder what wonderful things / You will do” capture the essence of the picture book and are accompanied by a diverse group of babies and toddlers clad in downright adorable outfits. Other spreads include older kids, too, and pictures expand on the open text to visually interpret the myriad possibilities and hopes for the depicted children. For example, a spread reading “Will you learn how to fly / To find the best view?” shows a bespectacled, school-aged girl on a swing soaring through an empty white background. This is just one spread in which Martin’s fearless embrace of the white of the page serves her well. Throughout the book, she maintains a keen balance of layout choices, and surprising details—zebras on the wallpaper behind a father cradling his child, a rock-’n’-roll band of mice paralleling the children’s own band called “The Missing Teeth”—add visual interest and gentle humor. An ideal title for the baby-shower gift bag and for any nursery bookshelf or lap-sit storytime.
Wonderful, indeed . (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37671-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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