Jamie’s grandmother has come to care for him while his mother is in the hospital having a baby. (Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be a father present.) Seeking to reassure him, Jamie’s grandmother shows him a photo album of her childhood. Within the pages of photos are a few of grandma’s brother Callum (with red hair and green eyes), who died when he was ten. That night, Jamie’s dreams are visited by Callum, who acts as the comforting impetus for Jamie to try some activities he has heretofore found frightening and difficult. The title derives from little Jamie’s exclamation each time he acquires one of these new skills, from bike-riding to swimming. These dreams could be viewed as the medium in which Jamie “imagines” what it would be like to have an older sibling mentor just as he would like to be for his new sibling. The dreams also, however, yield an eeriness to this work and lend a kind of unnerving, haunting air, especially when Jamie’s new baby sister arrives home sporting Callum’s same red hair and green eyes. Fletcher’s illustrations are sumptuous, thick with fresh aquas and deep blues evocative of the nearby sea, and the characters are exquisitely rendered, right down to their expressive facial features. Mendes nicely weaves together the triumphs of acquiring new skills with new-sibling jitters, but the ghostly dreams confuse the point. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-29654-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2001
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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