A soaring ode to community, tradition, and family.
A Jewish family takes their newest addition to a baby-naming ceremony on her first Shabbat.
Mommy, Mama, and young Zachary walk the new baby to the synagogue, greeting friends. Zachary pushes the carriage as people ask the baby’s name. Zachary’s bursting to tell, but Mommy and Mama remind Zachary that the name won’t be announced until the ceremony. For now, Mama tells Miss Fukumi that they call the baby “Little Babka,” because she’s the size of one—“and just as sweet,” Zachary adds. Mommy tells Mr. Baraka that the girl is called “Shayneh Maideleh.” Zachary says, “That’s a nickname that means beautiful girl.” And Zachary tells Mrs. Santiago that they call the baby “Snuggle Bunny.” Miss Fukumi, Mr. Baraka, and Mrs. Santiago are invited to the ceremony, where the family presents the baby to the female rabbi for the blessings. Zachary finally announces the baby’s name: “Aliza Shira which means ‘joyful song.’” Featuring vibrant colors, cozy details, and exuberantly swooping brushwork, the illustrations pair perfectly with the text, which has a folkloric feel, the family listing three nicknames and offering three invitations. Both words and art brim with warmth; the love and support in this diverse community are palpable. Mama has golden skin and wavy dark hair, Mommy is tan-skinned and has a short Afro, and their children are brown-skinned, with black curly hair.
A soaring ode to community, tradition, and family. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781646143702
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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