Serves up a delicious story, rich in culture and community, that will bring readers back for more.
A Cherokee community observes the beginning of spring with a feast.
As the nights get shorter, “the frost melts,” and “the dark clouds flee,” it’s time to get ready for a big meal. Everyone has a job to do. Mama puts the finishing touches on a basket, while Agilisi (Cherokee for Grandmother) sews a dress. Meanwhile, Daddy and Agiduda (Grandfather) are busy in the garage. The young child who narrates replenishes the henhouse with hay. Soon, family and community members head into the woods to forage for wild onions. The next day, they gather at the community center to prepare the meal. “Mama stirs and cooks. Agilisi tastes and seasons. Daddy kneads and shapes. Agiduda fries and turns.” Finally, Agilisi gives thanks to the Creator, and everybody enjoys corn soup, wild onions and eggs, and grape dumplings. Rogers (Cherokee Nation) imbues her text with warmth and playfulness; readers will smile when the narrator describes trimming wild onions as giving them haircuts. The pacing picks up in the kitchen scenes; word choice and the use of alliteration speak to the senses and heighten the excitement. Goodnight’s (Chickasaw Nation) gentle illustrations depict a supportive, tightknit community. Cherokee values—reciprocity, cooperation, respect, and kinship—are on full display. In an author’s note, Rogers reflects on the history of the Cherokee Nation and discusses the cultural significance of wild onion dinners.
Serves up a delicious story, rich in culture and community, that will bring readers back for more. (about food and recipes, glossary, a note from Heartdrum author-curator Cynthia Leitich-Smith) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063076792
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Heartdrum
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
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