Miss Spider and Nova fans will find themselves disappointed.
This kitty has some rules if you want a hug…a lot of rules.
“There shall be no head hugs, no leg hugs, and no tail hugs. / Cheek hugs are frowned upon.” The fluffy white cat with big, green eyes doesn’t like hugs from stinky persons (the illustration reveals a skunk) or “if you are on the potty” or “if I am on the potty!” Hugs from those with full diapers are verboten, as well as from those with no diaper. No hugs from scaly persons, bears, or overzealous boa constrictors. But with all these rules…when the kitty needs a hug, no one can give one. So this persnickety cat makes some revisions to the rules. Basically, the cat will now accept hugs from nearly everyone previously ruled out. Nostrils pinched shut will take care of “stinky hugs,” and “pinchy hugs” will be OK so long as they are gentle. Suddenly everyone wants to offer a hug. And so forth. Bestselling author/illustrator Kirk’s first from his boutique publishing house is not auspicious. The protagonist’s expression is almost terrifyingly uber-cute, with exaggeratedly wide eyes and a blood-red smile, and its imperiousness makes it rather unlikable. While its guidelines that “hugs are to be given gently [and] respectfully” are welcome, the long catalog of unacceptable hugs and then newly permissible ones feels repetitious rather than enjoyably silly.
Miss Spider and Nova fans will find themselves disappointed. (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-7326861-0-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Pipweasel
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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
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
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