A wise and gentle tale about the necessity of mischief to distract us from ourselves.
Be careful what you claim to disbelieve. It may be listening.
Jem has been overflowing with anger ever since his mother moved him and his little sister, Verity, from the city to the country, far from their old life and friends. As his unhappiness mounts, strange things begin happening: Jem discovers his shoes filled with chestnuts; the family’s clothing is shredded. Verity blames a “nouka,” a mysterious being said to live in the nearby hill. Jem’s frustrations build until one day he declares, “I don’t believe in the nouka!” These words trigger the local nouka, a furry black creature who does indeed exist and who likes warm fires and pranks—and who turns its attention to the boy, ramping up the misdeeds. For Jem, accepting his new home means also accepting the existence of the nouka, twin problems for a boy determined to be sad and serious. In this lengthy picture book, delicate watercolors illuminate the quiet beauty of the countryside, imbuing both Jem’s slowly dawning wonder and the nouka’s tiny world with magic and poignance. Acclaimed adult novelist O’Farrell’s language is marked by elegant turns of phrase, as when Jem is described as feeling “so low and listless, sitting there, as if his insides had been stuffed with damp rags.” The characters present white. This U.K. import closes with music and lyrics to “The Song of the Nouka,” based on the Irish jig “Seanduine Dóite.”
A wise and gentle tale about the necessity of mischief to distract us from ourselves. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536233933
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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