Not a necessary purchase, although the story’s cultural aspects provide satisfaction.
“The Gingerbread Man” gets a contemporary Indian spin.
After Mrs. Kapoor makes a laddoo for her husband on his birthday, the small, round Indian sweet comes to life, runs away from her, and evades being captured by an ever growing cast of townspeople. The refrain, “Bhago, bhago, as fast as you can. You can’t eat me. I’m the laddoo man,” is a throwback to the original folktale. When a cunning young girl in the park challenges the tired laddoo to a tongue twister, he abruptly meets his demise, much in the same way the Gingerbread Man does in the original tale. The simple text is sprinkled with Hindi words—defined in the glossary at the end of the book—and introduces some sounds common to life in India: the “DINAK-DINAK” of bells on the ankles of dancers and the “DHUMM! DHUMM!” of drums at a wedding procession. The tongue-twister element feels arbitrary, and its significance will not be clear to some young readers. Nair’s vibrant, lively digital illustrations incorporate authentic cultural details and carry the story, portraying the hustle and bustle of a contemporary town in India. All characters have dark hair, and most of them wear Indian clothing; however, their skin tones have very little variation, and there is an odd line of shadow across every character’s face. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not a necessary purchase, although the story’s cultural aspects provide satisfaction. (glossary, recipe, author's note) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4413-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this.
A lushly illustrated picture book with a troubling message.
Little Lala walks with her father after his successful day of fishing. When Mama calls her home for bed, a host of “good night”s delays her: to the bird, the monkey, and even the rock. As Lala wanders through her village in the darkening twilight, readers appreciate its expansive beauty and Lala’s simple joys. Although it’s been artfully written and richly illustrated by an award-winning author of many multicultural stories, this book has problems that overshadow its beauty. “African veld” sets the story in southern Africa, but its vague locale encourages Americans to think that distinctions among African countries don’t matter. Lala wears braids or locks that stick straight up, recalling the 19th-century pickaninny, and her inconsistent skin color ranges from deep ebony like her father’s to light brown. Shadows may cause some of these differences, but if it weren’t for her identifiable hair, readers might wonder if the same child wanders from page to page. Perhaps most striking of all is Lala’s bedtime story: not an African tale but an American classic. While this might evoke nostalgia in some readers, it also suggests that southern Africa has no comparably great bedtime books for Lala, perhaps in part because American children’s literature dominates the world market.
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17384-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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