UNCLE PETE AND THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT BEAT

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UNCLE PETE AND THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT BEAT

Name: UNCLE PETE AND THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT BEAT
Author: Vincent Schoofs

by Vincent Schoofs ; illustrated by Brandon Le & Nguyen Phan ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A uniquely musical take on coping with the grief of losing a parent.

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Two children turn to their visiting uncle, a red panda, to help them cope with the grief of losing their mother in this rhythmic picture book.

Elvira and Alexandra, based on Belgian author Schoofs’ daughters, are grieving their Chinese mother’s death. Uncle Pete, a musician, comes “to magic some smiles on to our faces” with plans to lay a track to the perfect beat. Uncle Pete, with his bushy tail sticking out from his shirt, starts his visit with food and fun. At a visit to the temple, he reminds the girls no matter where they go, they are never separate from their mother’s love. The sisters help Uncle Pete make music, but it’s still not quite right. Later, after a colorful, musical dream in which the girls’ mother promises to be with them always, Uncle Pete gathers the family for a hug, where they all realize their heartbeats, joined in love, are the perfect beat. Schoofs’ rhyming stanzas have uniquely syncopated rhythms, which can make the scansion challenging. The vocabulary includes words in Chinese (some in untranslated Chinese characters) and strange phrases, like “flaneur about town,” which may require explanation. The Chinese elements enhance the reading experience, and they reflect Elvira and Alexandra’s heritage. Le and Phan’s bright digital illustrations, especially in the dream sequence, emphasize the way that joy can help to combat grief, with the message that enjoying life doesn’t lessen love for the person who is lost.

A uniquely musical take on coping with the grief of losing a parent.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Manuscript

Review Posted Online: March 18, 2021

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)