A loving, tender celebration of the mother-child bond.
Not all superheroes wear capes, and the mom in this story proves just that.
Young narrator Wyatt shares how Mom may not always feel super, but “she uses her superpowers to battle her [multiple sclerosis].” No matter how good or bad she feels, they always have adventures, big and small. Some days when Mom is tired, they play in a special fort just for two. Some days, Mom is a bit unsteady, but with her magical stick, they can cast spells on Wyatt’s toys. No matter what they face, they will always have each other and fill each day with love. This beautiful picture book shares an affirming message that honestly and unapologetically reflects life with a parent who has a chronic illness. Author Stamm was diagnosed with M.S. in 2007 and, according to her concluding note, wrote this story to serve “as a tool to reinvent the perception of chronic illness and empower the children battling alongside their superhero parents.” She does just that, using Wyatt’s narrative to share ideas for entertaining games while managing symptoms and side effects of a long-term illness. Kellogg’s illustrations notably construct an unshakeable parent-child relationship using warm, vibrant colors and joyful expressions. Love and acceptance radiate on every page. Wyatt, his mom, and the unidentified man who sometimes accompanies them—sensitively leaving readers to their own interpretations of the relationship—all present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A loving, tender celebration of the mother-child bond. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-61519-810-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: The Experiment
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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