Readers should be touched by this bittersweet family tale and captivated by the frameworthy art.
In this picture book about losing a loved one, an author provides a look at his childhood relationship with his Italian grandmother.
Jimmy and Nonna are kindred spirits. In summer, they feed the birds and share Italian ice. In autumn, he tries to catch falling leaves while Nonna watches. On holidays, they make Nonna’s special biscotti di cannella. But one year, she isn’t well enough to cook her special Italian sausage stuffing on Thanksgiving; she’s so sick, she can’t get out of bed. After Nonna dies, Jimmy’s father declares that, honoring family tradition, they will not celebrate Christmas. But then Jimmy finds a vendor’s last Christmas tree and persuades his father to take it home. Placing Nonna’s angel on the tree brings the whole family peace. Doti’s (Jimmy Finds His Voice, 2013) gentle sequel is about struggling with the death of a grandparent but coming to realize that memories of the relative live on. The text is accessible and moving, and Ibatoulline’s (The Hawk of the Castle, 2017) Norman Rockwell–esque paintings beautifully capture the bygone era in which the vivid tale is set, revealing both the love and humor in Jimmy’s family. Though the book centers on an Italian-American clan, Ibatoulline offers a diverse neighborhood, where residents of many skin colors share the park and school. A recipe for Nonna’s biscotti di cannella follows the story. This is sure to have children playing the “I love you this much” game of the title.
Readers should be touched by this bittersweet family tale and captivated by the frameworthy art.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2018
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Fern Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.
Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.
His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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