A charming picture book with an inspiring message.
Creatures thank God and each other in this gorgeous children’s picture book.
In this debut, appropriate for infants through nursery school–age children, author Lashmit and illustrator Manning have struck gold. Bright, lush illustrations illuminate a repeated, simple, lullabylike message: “I know I am loved. / This you can truly see. / I know God in Heaven loves me.” As a flower thanks the sun, a bee thanks the flower; likewise, a bear thanks the bee, a fox thanks the bear, a bluebird thanks the fox, and so on. Each page features a different animal or plant repeating a sudden, joyful piece of knowledge: I am loved because the world shows me so. This singularly appealing story’s culminating event is a young girl’s triumphant exclamation. The book portrays a few simplistic natural relationships that bear little resemblance to actual biological ones (such as a kitten thanking a lamb for her wool), but others mimic ecological relationships well, such as a bear thanking bees for honey or a flower thanking the sun for shining. The linked chain of gratitude logically propels the story forward in a way that will likely satisfy adults as well as perceptive young ones. The story clearly endorses religious values, but secular-minded parents may also find that the book retains its power to reinforce children’s belief in their self-worth and the worth of creatures the world over. It’s possibly one of the most powerful messages a child can hear, and one that may be shared with even very young children. A cadence repeated to children often enough can become a song they sing to themselves, and this book’s soothing quality may help its message to become a lifelong mantra.
A charming picture book with an inspiring message.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475013023
Page Count: 32
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations.
Bergren and Bryant attempt to explain Easter to young children in a gentle, nonthreatening manner, with partial success.
When Little Cub questions her father about Easter, Papa Bear explains the religious significance of the holiday in various symbolic ways to his cub. He uses familiar things from their world, such as an egg and a fallen tree, to draw parallels with aspects of the Christian story. Papa Bear discusses his close relationships with Jesus and God, encouraging Little Cub to communicate with God on her own. The theme focuses on the renewal of life and the positive aspects of loving God and Jesus. Easter is presented as a celebration of eternal life, but the story skirts the issue of the crucifixion entirely. Some adults will find this an inadequate or even dishonest approach to the Easter story, but others will appreciate the calm and soothing text as a way to begin to understand a difficult subject. Bryant’s charming watercolor illustrations of the polar bear family, their cozy home and snowy forest scenes add to the overall mellow effect.
Fans of this popular series will find this a rewarding addition to family Easter celebrations. (Religion/picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-73072-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
With a universal message of love and community, this book offers a beautiful representation of a too-often-overlooked...
From a debut author-and-illustrator team comes a glimpse into a young American Muslim girl’s family and community as she walks around in “Mommy’s khimar,” or headscarf.
The star of this sunny picture book is a young girl who finds joy in wearing her mother’s khimar, imagining it transforms her into a queen, a star, a mama bird, a superhero. At the core of the story is the love between the girl and her mother. The family appears to be African-American, with brown skin and textured hair. The girl’s braids and twists “form a bumpy crown” under the khimar, which smells of coconut oil and cocoa butter. Adults in her life delight in her appearance in the bright yellow khimar, including her Arabic teacher at the mosque, who calls it a “hijab,” and her grandmother, who visits after Sunday service and calls out “Sweet Jesus!” as she scoops her granddaughter into her arms. Her grandmother is, apparently, a Christian, but “We are a family and we love each other just the same.” The illustrations feature soft pastel colors with dynamic lines and gently patterned backgrounds that complement the story’s joyful tone. The words are often lyrical, and the story artfully includes many cultural details that will delight readers who share the cheerful protagonist’s culture and enlighten readers who don’t.
With a universal message of love and community, this book offers a beautiful representation of a too-often-overlooked cultural group . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0059-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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