A book that truly sympathizes with young children’s need to earn the respect of their elders.
Expectations are upended when a grandmother visits her grandchild in the country.
The young narrator is thrilled. The child’s city-dwelling Nana is about to visit, and at last the little one will be able to introduce her to all sorts of new experiences. Yet when the day in question arrives, Nana seems oddly at home in this rural environment. She’s not surprised by the geese, the insects, or the baby birds in a nest. With some sadness, her grandchild reflects, “I can’t show Nana how to do anything in the country.” All that changes in the night, though, when Nana and the child realize that a sheep has gotten loose in a thunderstorm. Instantly our young hero springs into action, gently leading the sheep back home with treats. The next day, the child shows Nana how to give animals water and how to find eggs, but Nana says that even with all that, the country is “filled with the most magical thing”: her grandchild. Castillo gently probes a child’s sense of uselessness with great understanding. Her perfectly honed child’s-eye perspective makes clear how important it is for grown-ups to occasionally be “taught” by youngsters. Gentle ink watercolors and pastels drill home this necessary message. Characters present white.
A book that truly sympathizes with young children’s need to earn the respect of their elders. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780544102170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Practical, if somewhat fluffy, bedtime guidance, hampered by muddled prose.
In actor Mendes’ debut picture book, an anxious young sleeper learns to overcome scary nighttime thoughts with help from Mami.
A cry shatters the peaceful night. “MAMI! There’s a monster under my bed!” Mami rushes to Desi’s room, where no monsters await. Instead, worries plague the young girl. Is Desi’s brain the real monster? Mami quells those fears. After all, the brain holds many jobs (“learning new things, solving problems”), but sometimes it brings unwanted thoughts, almost like a bully. With encouragement from her mom, Desi realizes that she’s the boss of her rogue mind. She can try to separate herself from pushy thoughts to feel calm; she can even blow negative thoughts away with the might of positive ones. It just takes a little patience. Brava! Perhaps bedtime isn’t so scary. Mendes tackles the delicate matter of nighttime woes—familiar to children and adults alike—with compassion, framing her tale as a discussion between mother and daughter. The often clunky text disrupts the otherwise serene tone. Still, though the advice is a bit pat, many readers will find it useful. Rich with purples, blues, and pinks among interludes of puffy white clouds, Bryant’s pitch-perfect artwork serves the text well; Desi’s anthropomorphic brain, clad in a nightcap, is an especially fun addition. Desi and Mami read Latine.
Practical, if somewhat fluffy, bedtime guidance, hampered by muddled prose. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781250867438
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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