bookshelf

THE FOOTPRINT

Name: THE FOOTPRINT
Author: Javier Sobrino
ISBN: 9788419464026

by Javier Sobrino ; illustrated by Carolina Luzón ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2023

A bit cryptic but ultimately a beautiful and moving tale of friends lost and found.

bookshelf

A ginger cat experiences the highs and lows of friendship.

The feline arrives at a gathering of wild animals. The cat doesn’t feel like it fits in; in fact, it feels as though the others are afraid of it. But then the cat meets a Jack Russell terrier, and the two become fast friends. One day, the dog has a new pal and no longer wants to be friends with the cat. The heartbroken cat does not understand but eventually moves on, meets new friends, and is happy once more. The narrative is a bit unclear at times—we don’t know why the creatures have all gathered here, for instance, and at one point the cat mentions that it doesn’t hear well but doesn’t explain why. However, this vagueness also allows young readers to project their own experiences onto those of the cat, and many children will readily relate to feeling alone and friendless. Translated from Spanish, the text is simple and emotional, though sometimes stilted. The collagelike illustrations are the book’s strong point. Evocative and unique, they employ both color and grayscale. The photorealistic animal characters are depicted with readable emotions and a touch of personification; adults and children alike will be rapt. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A bit cryptic but ultimately a beautiful and moving tale of friends lost and found. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2023

ISBN: 9788419464026

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Cuento de Luz

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
NIGHT SOUNDS
by Javier Sobrino ; illustrated by Emilio Urberuaga ; translated by Elisa Amado

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

bookshelf

IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

bookshelf

Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)