A vibrant, bighearted account of a child’s first forays into independence.
A young boy learns the value of a quarter in Matias and Zhang’s beguiling picture book.
It’s Monday and the first day of school. Ready to become a “niño grande,” Ernesto prepares for the walk to school—this time without his parents to accompany him! With his lucky sneakers and favorite Mets cap on, he goes to the door, “feelin’ freshhhh!” But wait! His mom cuts him off, handing him a shiny new quarter for a pay phone in case of an emergency. A kiss goodbye, and Ernesto heads out with his friends. The group stops at Señor José’s bodega, where baseball cards tempt Ernesto. But he refuses to use his quarter. For the entire school week, Ernesto receives an emergency quarter from his mamá each morning and each day refuses sweet temptations such as jugos de frutas and tamales with steadfast determination. “These quarters are for emergencies.” Fittingly, the story ends on an unexpected and delightful note. In his picture-book debut, Matias serves up a playful slice-of-life tale that bubbles with heart and gentle humor. A palpable portrait of community emerges through each named character and local tiendita introduced, guiding readers through Ernesto’s neighborhood. Likewise, Zhang’s gouache, watercolor, and ink artwork is richly dense, with lush colors, angled and wide perspectives, and expressionistic details that conjure a bustling city. Ernesto and his family are Dominican, while the surrounding community demonstrates racial diversity.
A vibrant, bighearted account of a child’s first forays into independence. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9780063271456
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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