HOUSES FLOATING HOME

Name: HOUSES FLOATING HOME
Author: Einar Turkowski
ISBN: 978-1-59270-183-4

by Einar Turkowski ; illustrated by Einar Turkowski ; translated by Belinda Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2016

Whether readers find this book unsettling or intriguing will likely depend on the child. It certainly offers fertile ground...

bookshelf

This German import unfolds in dreamlike double-page spreads.

In place of a linear narrative are pairs of words, one per spread, that express a dichotomy: “Order—Disorder,” “Noise—Stillness,” “Boy—Girl.” The sequence of surreal, graphite drawings begins with “One—Many.” A pack of mice races toward a hole in a low wall labeled “Cheese.” The front-runner wears the numeral “1.” What the creatures can’t see is the watchful cat following the sprint from behind the structure. Those looking closely will soon understand that the caption has multiple interpretations. A tail and hindquarters are visible running around the wall’s side; it is this “one” that appears in every subsequent scene. There is much to consider in these spacious, monochromatic pictures: the face of a lovely woman sleeping at the edge of a forest, elaborate domed structures against a starry sky, an ocean of fish blowing—or perhaps consuming—thought bubbles, and houses soaring in the sky, like kites—attached to strings. This titular image is especially provocative. Do houses yearn to go home? Where are they from? Do they transport their inhabitants? The final composition depicts trees on slender trunks, bent forward in the wind, ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the running rodents (although this image does not convey closure). Children could invent a continuous narrative, individual tales, or new stories upon rereadings.

Whether readers find this book unsettling or intriguing will likely depend on the child. It certainly offers fertile ground for imaginative conversation. (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: March 11, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-59270-183-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

bookshelf

LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

bookshelf

How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

by Maribeth Boelts ; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

bookshelf

Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)