by Joanna Que & Charina Marquez ; illustrated by Frances Alvarez ; translated by Karen Llagas ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2023
A gentle and charming introduction to Filipino Sign Language.
A child is introduced to a whole new language in this Filipino import.
This gentle, spare narrative opens on Sam observing the new neighbors using Filipino Sign Language. Seeing “their hands move as if to music,” Sam is curious. The neighbors’ young daughter, Mai, walks to school with Sam, at first by happenstance, though later they intentionally seek each other out. The two become fast friends, letting loose and giggling as they carry their school books on their heads. A communication lapse occurs when Sam runs up the hill only for Mai to be left behind (“Mai thought that we were hiding behind a tree”). After the mix-up Mai decides to teach Sam some FSL, allowing Sam’s “hands to dance.” This opens the door to deeper confidence, and the children start sharing their hopes and dreams: “Mai wants to be a teacher. I want to protect our earth.” Alvarez’s deft use of space and color brings vibrancy and movement to the story and characters. The black lines representing Mai’s flowing hair are paired with textured colors and objects invoking a dreamy tone. The duo cement their bond with the sign for friend. A detailed note on the history of Filipino Sign Language and sign language around the world follows. A visual glossary of FSL signs (with words listed in English and Filipino) is included, though curiously it does not indicate the movements of the signs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle and charming introduction to Filipino Sign Language. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-79721-332-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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by Jonathan Stutzman ; illustrated by Jay Fleck ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.
With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?
Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Lauren Eldridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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