No one could have a heart of stone reading this one.
A boy and his gargoyle companion show the importance of family in this sweet, wordless picture book.
Opening with an image of a picture-covered wall depicting a White family’s history—elderly relatives, wedding pictures, and cuddly baby pictures of our protagonist holding a large gray egg in his lap—the book then depicts the titular Anthony going to bed with the egg on his bedside table, then waking up to it having hatched. Hiding in the closet is an adorable, apparently shy baby gargoyle with large, floppy ears and a tiny horn. The pair play with toys, mark heights on the wall, read books about Notre Dame de Paris and Victor Hugo, until a letter arrives bearing news that Anthony’s grandmother is in the hospital. The family takes the train to Paris, with the little gargoyle stowed away in Anthony’s backpack, peeking out to take in the sights. After a heartwarming visit with Grand-mère, who is introduced to the unnamed gargoyle, the family goes to Notre Dame, where the gargoyle reunites with its worried parent, a full-sized, single-horned figure peering anxiously down onto the city until its offspring’s presence awakes it from its stony state. The book closes with another close-up of the picture wall, this time with a photo of Anthony and the gargoyle family. Kastelic’s muted watercolor panels, reminiscent of the work of Carson Ellis, paint a full picture of these two loving families and the venerated French capital. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
No one could have a heart of stone reading this one. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77306-344-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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