A sweet, uplifting take on facial difference, friendship, and self-acceptance.
A child feels self-conscious about the birthmark on her forehead.
Mom says the birthmark is an angel’s kiss, and cousin Charlie says it’s a superpower. Still, the unnamed protagonist wonders how she’d look without the mark, which she’s named Toto. And when strangers ask about Toto, the narrator’s face reddens, and she “cannot say a word.” Pink-hued Toto and the narrator’s crimson cheeks stand out against the sepia-toned backdrops, emphasizing the narrator’s feeling that “sometimes people only see Toto, not me.” So when Mom proposes concealing Toto under the child’s bangs before school starts, she agrees. At school, she quickly befriends a girl named Niko. But when the narrator hangs upside down from the monkey bars, Toto is revealed. To the protagonist’s astonishment, Niko thinks she’s “just extraordinary”—“The birthmark on your face means that you have another life!” Later, the narrator muses that without Toto, “I might not look like ME at all. And I might not feel extraordinary.” Using short sentences and appealing kid logic, Yum, who based the story on a friend’s daughter’s experience and her own childhood memories of fielding questions about a birthmark on her leg, introduces young readers to the idea of facial difference. The narrator’s and Niko’s doll-like faces are endearing, conveying joy, embarrassment, and surprise through simple lines. The protagonist and her family have skin the white of the page and present East Asian; Niko has darker skin.
A sweet, uplifting take on facial difference, friendship, and self-acceptance. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780823453894
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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