A fiercely sweet look at familial pride.
Two youngsters one-up each other, exaggerating at every turn.
In this Spanish import, a tot with oversize glasses and scribbly red hair boasts, “My dad is the best.” Another, brown-haired child indignantly retorts: “My dad is better!” Warming to the argument, the first child declares, “My dad can pick up…a truck!” The accompanying image depicts Dad wielding a large truck with ease. Not to be outdone, the other youngster replies, “My dad is stronger! He can pick up a truck…filled with elephants!” (The elephants look mildly concerned.) As the back-and-forth continues, each page turn reveals an even sillier addition to the feats that the dads are capable of. “My dad can pick up a truck filled with elephants that are pregnant…with triplets!” “My dad is even stronger! He can pick up a truck filled with elephants who are pregnant with triplets…on top of a skyscraper!” The two youngsters squarely face off on each spread, with one on the left page and the other on the right. A surprising climax leaves the two families closer than they ever were before. Turu sets the humorous scenes against an uncluttered white backdrop, letting readers fully explore the zany expressions and exploits of the competing families. Both children and fathers have light skin.
A fiercely sweet look at familial pride. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781623544911
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
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
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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