A cheery if superficial treatment of a common theme.
Children are immensely proud of parents who work serving the public in many important ways.
A group of young children describe their parents’ jobs, stressing how they are crucial to a well-functioning community. There are police officers, teachers, foreign-aid volunteers, lifeguards, letter carriers, firefighters, school bus drivers, and more. Each parent worker is introduced in a brief rhyme on a double-page spread accompanied by an illustration depicting that parent in action. The text, in an abcb rhyme scheme, is descriptive, accessible, and pertinent. Tikkou’s bright illustrations are neatly integrated with the text, providing additional details about the jobs and the workers. The children, a multiracial group, are first seen on the title page with their backpacks on their way to school and then in the classroom for the introductory rhyme. The delivery is bright and uncomplicated. The police-officer parent “helps to keep the peace,” a loaded comment that may well fall flat with children whose community interactions with the police are far from peaceful. A companion work, Keeping Us Healthy, follows the same format, focusing on ambulance drivers, X-ray technicians, dentists, veterinarians, and other healers. The diversity is even more striking, with a “daddy” nurse and “mommy” doctor (both people of color) and a white pharmacist who uses a wheelchair. Parents and young readers will find much to discuss.
A cheery if superficial treatment of a common theme. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68464-057-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children.
Social-equity themes are presented to children in ABC format.
Terms related to intersectional inequality, such as “class,” “gender,” “privilege,” “oppression,” “race,” and “sex,” as well as other topics important to social justice such as “feminism,” “human being,” “immigration,” “justice,” “kindness,” “multicultural,” “transgender,” “understanding,” and “value” are named and explained. There are 26 in all, one for each letter of the alphabet. Colorful two-page spreads with kid-friendly illustrations present each term. First the term is described: “Belief is when you are confident something exists even if you can’t see it. Lots of different beliefs fill the world, and no single belief is right for everyone.” On the facing page it concludes: “B is for BELIEF / Everyone has different beliefs.” It is hard to see who the intended audience for this little board book is. Babies and toddlers are busy learning the names for their body parts, familiar objects around them, and perhaps some basic feelings like happy, hungry, and sad; slightly older preschoolers will probably be bewildered by explanations such as: “A value is an expression of how to live a belief. A value can serve as a guide for how you behave around other human beings. / V is for VALUE / Live your beliefs out loud.”
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children. (Board book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-78603-742-8
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power.
Music moves a nonverbal child to speak.
The narrator explains that Ronan was “born quiet. Some days he hardly says a word.” Today, when Father and Mother suggest outings to the beach or park, he’s quiet. But he looks up when Grandfather bursts in and proposes attending a concert. With refreshing optimism, Grandfather proclaims it “an adventure,” though Ronan’s parents worry about the “challenge” and “risk” of taking him to a performance. And when Ronan, his dog, and Grandfather reach Symphony Hall, an adventure it is. When the music starts, Ronan is swept away in a whirl of notes. Collectively, the instruments sound like “a sky full of stars,” sending him and his cheerful pup into a space-themed reverie. Boss notes that “the darker instruments sound cool and frightening” and the lighter ones sound “warm and friendly” but does not name the instruments, a missed opportunity to deepen readers’ understanding of the music enthralling Ronan. Audience and orchestra members alike are moved to laughter and applause when the music stops, and an awed Ronan utters his first “WOW!” Kheiriyeh’s endearing, pastel-hued cartoon illustrations convey Ronan’s astonishment and joy. Though an author’s note explains that the story is based on an actual nonverbal child’s experience of a Mozart piece in 2019, details such as Mother’s pearls and housedress and Grandfather’s finned car evoke a bucolic 1950s setting. Ronan and his family present white; background characters are racially diverse.
A heartwarming testament to music’s emotional power. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781534499713
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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