Cute but somewhat illogical.
Hunting a “lost” language.
Ella the elephant and her pachyderm family—Bubbe, Zeyde, and little brother Eli—visit the beach. Bubbe peppers her conversation with Yiddish words but regrets she’s forgotten—“lost”—many words in that ancient language; she calls them a “treasure.” Ella, proud of her treasure-hunting skills, promises to help Bubbe find them and builds a ship from sand to go exploring. A wave ruins it, but undaunted Ella falls asleep and dreams of adventure. Alas, she doesn’t find what she seeks because she doesn’t know what a “lost language” looks like. As the family gets ready to head home, Ella spies a Yiddish lexicon on a table displaying “Seaside Treasures” and—better yet—recaps the day in an animated exclamation laced with every Yiddish word Bubbe used, even in the order she said them! Bubbe confirms Ella’s hunting prowess, crowing that the Yiddish “was inside you all along!” This cheerful story celebrating a loving family overplays the language shtick and strains credulity: Ella doesn’t know what Yiddish is yet can recall all Bubbe’s Yiddish terms and verbalize them correctly in context on her first try soon after hearing the words. The energetic illustrations fare better; the depiction of Ella’s shipboard exploration is especially vivid. All characters are animals. Yiddish words are set in a larger, boldfaced, capitalized red font. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cute but somewhat illogical. (“what is Yiddish?”, glossary of Yiddish words with English definitions, pronunciation guides, and words spelled with Hebrew lettering) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9798986396514
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kalaniot Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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