A tender, gentle tale that will help children live in the moment.
A South Asian grandmother and grandchild make tea—and learn a lesson in patience.
Meena is visiting Nanu, and it’s a very special day: Together, they’re going to prepare a Bengali tea called doodh cha using tea leaves from Bangladesh and mint leaves from Nanu’s garden. As they start, Meena is already craving the cake and samosas that are filling Nanu’s house with a delicious aroma. Though Meena wants to rush, Nanu slows the child down and emphasizes that making tea takes time. While they let the tea simmer and wait for the mint, cloves, ginger, and cardamom to steep, Meena looks at old pictures of Nanu in her childhood kitchen, makes a “fancy card” for Nanu, and listens to Nanu’s childhood stories about going outside to play. At long last, the tea is ready—and it’s perfect! Meena and Nanu agree that their doodh cha, which they made together, was absolutely worth the wait. This vibrantly illustrated book is a quiet tribute to intergenerational relationships and family traditions. Though it may not offer concrete strategies for helping eager little ones wait for a much-anticipated event, it does teach a valuable lesson without ever verging on didacticism.
A tender, gentle tale that will help children live in the moment. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781459836396
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts.
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.
Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. “One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly’s legs. One family.” Gomez’s richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For “six,” a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.”
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-374-30003-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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