It’s an unassuming, sweet story, and sometimes that’s enough.
A timid hedgehog named Hal runs an impromptu race with his group of animal friends.
Ava, a spunky sheep, comes up with the idea for the race, with a course going uphill and then curving down to the finish line. Hal is worried about his short legs and slow speed, and he’s afraid the others will laugh at him if he comes in last. He reluctantly joins in and predictably falls far behind the other runners. At the top of the hill, Hal curls up in a ball and says a short prayer asking God to “help me be proud of the things I am good at.” By curling up in a ball, Hal rolls downhill to the finish line, coming in second. The short, simple story emphasizes accepting and overcoming both physical and emotional fear, and the final line is a succinct, refreshing alternative to the conventional resolution, in which the main character wins first prize. Hal just “did his best and it was enough.” Bold, cartoon-style illustrations feature appealing, bug-eyed animals and commendable attention to matching the characters’ positions within compositions to their featured order in the text. The brief prayer as part of the plot makes this most suitable for libraries in religious settings or for families who wish to integrate religion into family reading. Companion title Happy Birthday, Ava! publishes simultaneously.
It’s an unassuming, sweet story, and sometimes that’s enough. (author’s note) (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5064-1789-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sparkhouse
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey.
A cheery child gives thanks to God.
“When I see a rainbow / High up in the sky / I say a little prayer of thanks, / And here’s the reason why: // Because God loves me!” This board book’s focus is the comforting notion that God loves all his children, and no matter what, he will always look out for them. The text follows an ABCB rhyme scheme, breaking after every stanza to repeat the phrase “Because God loves me!” The small, light-skinned child has spiky brown hair and wears a dress; both the child and a chubby accompanying dog are appealingly illustrated with a bright, simple color palette and scratchy lines that appear to have been made with colored pencil. God is the only name given for the deity, implying a primarily Christian audience. The book’s message is clear, and its construction is sturdy, suiting this well to parents who are beginning to have conversations with their little readers regarding their beliefs.
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58925-237-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
A simplistic, outdated take on Diwali for young children.
It’s Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and Binny can’t wait to tell her class about her favorite holiday.
On their way through their North American suburb to school, Binny’s mother wishes her luck and reminds her to tell her class about the oil lamps that are a central part of their family’s Diwali tradition. But when Binny’s teacher, Mr. Boomer, invites her to share, Binny freezes, overcome with shyness. Taking a deep breath, she remembers her mother’s advice. The thought of the world filled with light—symbolizing the triumph of good over evil—gives Binny the strength she needs to tell her family’s Diwali story. While the book is thorough in its description of traditions like wearing new clothes, eating sweets, lighting lamps, and decorating floors and sidewalks with colored powder, the prose is clunky and clumsy, and Binny’s conflict is resolved so quickly that the story arc feels limp and uninteresting. Other elements of the text are troubling as well. Calling Binny’s new clothes an “Indian outfit,” for example, erases the fact that the kurta she wears is typical of the entire South Asian subcontinent. The use of most fireworks, which the author treats as an essential part of the holiday, is now banned in India due to concerns about pollution and child labor. Most problematically of all, the author continually treats Diwali as a Hindu holiday celebrated by “everyone,” which is untrue in India or in diaspora and which dangerously equates Hindu and Indian identity. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads reviewed at 49% of actual size.)
A simplistic, outdated take on Diwali for young children. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-36448-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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