A guidebook for those who believe “think like a Jewish robotic shark” is good advice.
Sharkbot could be any of us.
Anyone who’s ever felt frazzled may identify with the robot shark in this picture book, who has to prepare dinner for seven guests in time for the Jewish Sabbath. The metaphor isn’t even subtle. Sharkbot has a warning light that tells him he’s low on energy. A counter alerts him as his power level plunges from 10 to one, making this a sort of counting book in reverse. He shows his alarm the way, apparently, a robot shark does, with expressions like “Goodness gears” and “Slime of snail and tail of trout!” Readers will find this either endearing or baffling. The language in the book can be quaint and sometimes stilted: “Long strands of kelp he’s braiding through / give challah loaves a greenish hue.” Davey’s drawings are just as eccentric. They’re charmingly askew. Sharkbot’s eyebrows never quite match, and lines that should be parallel often aren’t. But his anxiety feels familiar and accessible. Sharkbot eventually finds a traditional Jewish solution to his problems. Spending the Sabbath with his friends renews him—but an electronic charger also helps. In an afterword, Waldman even says: “Shabbat is a time to ‘recharge our batteries.’ ” But she suggests a more contemporary method as well, with a list of detailed mindfulness techniques. This is both a universal story and an acquired taste.
A guidebook for those who believe “think like a Jewish robotic shark” is good advice. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68115-567-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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