The cheerful, nostalgic flavor of Engelbreit’s illustrations may be more appealing to adults than to children, but the...
A collection of short poems and quotations about friendship is illustrated by Engelbreit in her immediately recognizable style with sweetly smiling children, decorated borders and fanciful flowers.
The quotations include brief thoughts on friendship from literary giants such as Shakespeare, Longfellow, Thoreau and Yeats, as well as several anonymous but familiar sayings, such as “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” Contemporary selections include Shel Silverstein’s “Hug o’ War” and the text to the old camp song, “Make New Friends.” Several Bible verses pertaining to love and friendship are also included. Many pages are full-sized illustrations with the quotation worked into the picture, while other pages include several short quotes with spot illustrations or decorated initial capitals. Though most of the cherubs depicted are white, children of multiple ethnicities are included in some illustrations, and one picture shows a little girl walking alongside her friend, who uses a wheelchair. Though the collection doesn’t really explore any new territory and Engelbreit’s worldview is determinedly cheerful, this will appeal to the artist’s legions of fans and is an obvious choice for the gift market.
The cheerful, nostalgic flavor of Engelbreit’s illustrations may be more appealing to adults than to children, but the quotations express worthy values to pass along to the young. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-310-74509-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Summertime fun.
Summer vacation is the stuff children’s dreams are made of.
This collection of verse begins with that first day a child can sleep in instead of being woken up for school by the alarm clock (“BEEP-BEEP-SNOOZE”) and ends with the first day back at school. In between, full-color cartoon illustrations and short, upbeat poems, usually one per page, explore how children in diverse communities spend their summers. They line up on the sidewalk after hearing “the jingle jangle of the ice-cream truck!” They cool off by playing on a backyard slip 'n slide or by visiting the neighborhood pool, the lake, or the beach (where a child builds a sand castle only to see it washed away and another listens to a seashell). Summer also means a family road trip with all-too-frequent rest stops and a motel stay with treats like a giant TV, “teensy soaps and teensy shampoo / and beds made for bouncing.” A trip to an amusement park is captured in a creative shape poem about the thrills of a log ride and playful font changes that emphasize the ever changing perspective found on a Ferris wheel. Summer also includes going to camp as well as camping out in the backyard and enjoying s’mores and an astronomy lesson from Grandpa. As in the creators’ other Here I Come! books, the verse is peppy, with details sure to get kids jazzed, brought to life by the exuberant cartoon art. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Summertime fun. (Picture book/poetry. 4-8)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-38721-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Girl science power and new friendships make for a good combination.
In Fliess’ update, Mary is an inventive scientist, but she’s a lonely one.
“Mary had a little lab. / She tested and created. / While other kids were at the park, / she built and calculated.” The window of her lab provides views of the kids’ fun, and they inspire her to make a friend. Literally. She bikes to a farm for a snip of wool and heads back to use her latest invention: the Sheepinator. The resultant pet is everything she could hope for, not only providing companionship, but also helping out around the house and lab. And when he follows her to school, the kids all ask for their own wooly friends. What could possibly go wrong? Bouloubasis’ hysterical illustrations show the chaos that ensues, but the scientist and her new human friends think of a clever solution that leaves the whole town satisfied…and warm. Fliess’ verses include enough of the original poem (but tweaked) to tickle readers’ funny bones, and the rhyme and rhythm are spot-on. Mary is a wild-haired white redhead who is depicted as safety-conscious (bike helmet, ear protection, rubber gloves, etc.); the other kids are a diverse group. Most diverse (and somewhat distracting) of all are the noses on their faces—all sizes, shapes, and colors.
Girl science power and new friendships make for a good combination. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4982-7
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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