A buoyant tribute to a child’s inquisitiveness and the family that encourages it.
A bilingual child progresses through the world surrounded by balloons.
Questions bursting to be asked float over Eva’s head, tethered by everything from the bedposts to the child’s wrists. Questions that can’t always be answered right now bide their time: “Who named all the colours?” “¿Qué vamos a comer mañana?” Sometime Eva’s parents are too busy to respond; sometimes Eva’s exuberance bursts and questions POP OUT! But, eventually, the adults in Eva’s life—Mama, Papá, Eva’s teacher Mrs. McGregor—help the child find the answers, or Eva dreams them up. Supported by a loving family, the irrepressible Eva knows how much they are loved, that Abuelita (“on-the-screen in Peru”) is glad Eva’s eating sopita, and that tomorrow will bring more questions. With a deft touch, Moreno tackles childhood curiosity, emotional learning, and a bit of science (outer space figures prominently in some of Eva’s questions) and shows that within a safe, loving environment, young people can flourish. The text is primarily in English, with some questions in English and others in Spanish, and some hard-hitting topics are introduced: “Why do some people have no home?” Vélez’s creative portrayal of Eva’s accumulation of questions adds visual humor. The colorful, whimsical balloons bob and weave from frame to frame, mirroring Eva’s endearing impatience. Mama is light-skinned; Papá, who is Peruvian, is brown-skinned; Eva is brown-skinned, and Mrs. McGregor presents as Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A buoyant tribute to a child’s inquisitiveness and the family that encourages it. (glossary of Spanish words) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-78250-776-5
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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