A delightfully important adventure for a very small person.
A routine but noteworthy event is seen through a preschooler’s eyes.
The perspective is literally that of the child narrator throughout: a view of chubby legs, round knees, and pale toes—and a pair of shoes. The unseen owner of the toes informs readers: “Mommy puts on my socks. / Mommy puts on my old shoes.” A chubby little hand points out the holes in the little green shoes into which a finger can fit, and the narrator observes (perhaps repeating Mommy’s concern), “Dirt could get in. Or water.” A grown-up hand holds the toddler’s as the walking surface changes: It’s a trip to the shoe store. “A man takes off my old shoes” and measures the sock-clad foot: “My feet / are bigger than before!” Readers then see a selection of new shoes, a small pointing finger, a couple of pairs tried on (first yellow, then red)—and, “I like them!” The narrator is eager to share the wonder of this new footwear with “Emma,” and on the final page, a pair of brown legs and small feet in bright blue shoes join our narrator’s familiar pink and white legs and small feet in (new) red shoes. Raschka’s loose line and bright watercolor-and-gouache edge-to-edge illustrations are lively and sweet, perfectly suited to his subject.
A delightfully important adventure for a very small person. (Picture book. 18 mos.-4)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-265752-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder.
After being home-schooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle school life when he looks so different from everyone else?
Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too.
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86902-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
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