Mending walls for the nursery crowd.
Rhyme, rhythm, and simple art—all including references to walls—show children expressing different emotions and behaviors.
The pages are sturdy and shiny, with plenty of bright-white negative space for the colorful artwork and sparse words. All words are printed in spindly, black capitals in a typeface that emulates hand-lettering. The text scans well and uses a fairly complex rhyme scheme, with each “verse” moving across several pages of artwork. The text cleverly begins by showing literal kinds of walls: “chalk wall / spill wall / rock wall / hill wall.” As it progresses, figurative meanings of walls appear. Loose, thin black lines and bright watercolors show racially diverse people throughout, initially happily engaged in activities involving walls. The text is already predicting trouble ahead on a double-page spread that shows children cooperatively designing and building what eventually becomes a life-sized castle of gray brick. If careful attention is not given to the art’s details, it is easy to miss the growing tension between the light-skinned kid in the shirt with vertical blue stripes and the ruddy-faced kid in the shirt with horizontal blue stripes. The latter child apparently enlists others in cruelty to the former, but the bully’s increasing megalomania leads eventually to loneliness and isolation. There is an interesting balance between the fantasy of children building a life-sized castle and the reality of their feelings and behaviors. The end reassures readers that reconciliation is possible.
Mending walls for the nursery crowd. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77147-373-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Treacle drips from every page. Find self-esteem elsewhere.
The voice of an omniscient narrator, who may or may not be a caregiver, speaks directly to an unhappy child with an invitation to a very special place.
The child follows directions to the beautiful title isle “just across the bay.” Ferried across by a toy elephant in a sailboat, the child is given an enthusiastic welcome by more adorable animals and some other children. The little one swims in a waterfall, rides a giant eagle, relaxes in a hammock, and happily engages with some of the other children. Several of the activities are stereotypically girl-associated, and the other children appear to be girls with varying skin tones and hair textures; the little protagonist has light skin and a brown pageboy and is only suggested as female. After elaborate entertainments and a sweet feast, the child is assured that “someone loves you very, very, very much” before being borne safely home. Deep purple, bright pastel pink, and yellow watercolors dominate the color palette, creating a magical, otherworldly atmosphere. But it is also somewhat creepy as well. The Isle of You exists only for the protagonist’s happiness, even the other children there, who appear to have no existence in the real world. Apparently intended to build self-esteem and comfort, it seems to encourage self-centeredness instead, as does the ending play on the pronunciation of the title words.
Treacle drips from every page. Find self-esteem elsewhere. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9116-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
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