Didactic, confusing and not particularly informative. Seriously? (authors’ notes) (Picture book. 3-8)
Mother and son co-authors tell the story of young Jacob and his time wearing an eye patch to correct two common eye conditions.
Whenever Jacob goes out, people ask him about his eye patch. Curious onlookers feel free to ask the personal question: “Why does your boy wear an eye patch?” (“His eyes need correction,” would be the obvious answer to the nosy.) Normally Jacob doesn’t mind answering questions, but today he is anxious to get to the science store, where he hopes to buy a new light-up globe. Everywhere he turns, people ask about his patch, and his mother is happy to answer, even though Jacob just wants to keep going. Jacob’s thought bubble, “Seriously?” lets readers know his frustration. And that’s it. Built on such a weak premise, this story provides no surprises. Feiffer’s art seems to have been rushed. From page to page, older brother Adam’s face changes, and after a two-block walk from the ice cream store, the ice cream has neither melted nor been licked. At the page turn, the cone simply disappears. The weak narrative is also confusing (at one point, five hours a day is patch time and in another, three hours). Feiffer’s talents are wasted here. Readers wishing for an emotionally satisfying treatment of the same subject should turn to George Ella Lyon and Lynne Avril’s award-winning The Pirate of Kindergarten (2010).
Didactic, confusing and not particularly informative. Seriously? (authors’ notes) (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3732-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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