Warmth, love, family, and memories bring joy in this poignant tribute to grandpas.
Two children remember their departed grandfathers’ love in Bradbury’s picture book.
Amber (who has brown skin and black hair) and Nate (who is fair-skinned and has brown hair) remember their grandfathers and moments they spent together. Amber recalls “waiting to see his green Chevy pick-up truck rumble up the driveway” and going off on an adventure. For Nate, learning “how to catch the biggest fish in the pond” and clapping as it was released and swam away comes to mind. Learning to ride a bicycle, eating tomatoes right out of the garden, and going to the park together elicit feelings of love and togetherness. Each double-page spread features a beautiful color illustration by Johnson reflecting the particular memory. As the book ends, the author lovingly shares, “If Grandpa were here... ...and he IS here, inside your heart and mind. Because his love and memory will always be with you, each and every day.” The story includes reflections from the older Amber and Nate on changes (and surprises) that occurred in their lives as they grew up. The illustrations add depth to the story as they demonstrate the closeness of each child to their grandparent as they spend time together. The details evoke simpler times, eating banana splits, fishing, and going to ballgames.
Warmth, love, family, and memories bring joy in this poignant tribute to grandpas.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 21
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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