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TOP LEAF

A beautiful way to introduce the concept of privilege to young readers as well as share ideas about treating others well.

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

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  • Kirkus Reviews'
    Best Books Of 2018

A self-important leaf receives a joyful message of equality as fall arrives in Gold’s debut morality tale with illustrations by Gadra (Sneaking Treats, 2012).

In an oddly shaped tree with humanlike features, a single leaf has the highest perch, where he can see more than any of his fellows. At first, the others are excited to know what he can observe, which includes distant smoke and schoolchildren (mostly in black-and-white sketches but with flares of color that enhance the images). But the leaf develops an unpleasant attitude, demanding that others call him “Top Leaf.” A smaller leaf below says, “You’re only at the top by chance. What makes you think you’re so special?” When autumn comes, Top Leaf refuses to fall, believing that he’ll no longer be important. The smaller leaf is excited to go, however; Top Leaf humbles himself to ask if they can fall together and finds that having a friend feels better than feeling important. Gadra’s spare illustrations, with their limited use of color, support the simplicity of the narrative, which uses approachable, straightforward language. It subtly shows how some people have lucky advantages—but that doesn’t make them better; everyone faces the same end.

A beautiful way to introduce the concept of privilege to young readers as well as share ideas about treating others well.

Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-9978741-3-6

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Buffalo Arts Publishing

Review Posted Online: April 28, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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I WISH YOU MORE

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.

A collection of parental wishes for a child.

It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015

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