A sweet work that promotes love and belonging.
It takes both family and community support early on to encourage children to grow up to be their full authentic selves.
New life often sparks conversation from excited family around whom the expected child may look like in the family or what they may grow up to be. Pippins here explores how one African American family celebrates their newest addition. Addressing the newcomer, the narrator speculates about which qualities and enthusiasms demonstrated by loved ones the babe might share. This heartfelt narrative speaks to everyday experiences, whether a family get-together, camping, or baking. Pippins goes a step beyond family to layer this narrative with the important role community plays in the black experience. From wondering whether the child will be like family members, such as “your cousin Curlena [who] is loud and joyful,” the narrator moves on to wonder if the child will “find beauty in all that you see, like Ms. Jess” or “be compassionate, like Alessandra.” The striking, posterlike pictures are filled with bold characters engaging in both activism and quiet contemplation in addition to homey activities. Characters are all different shades of brown, reinforcing a sense of vibrant diversity (though there is no recognizable LGBTQ or disability representation here). Older kids will relate to hearing adults talk about whom they resemble, whether in appearance or personality.
A sweet work that promotes love and belonging. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4948-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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