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SONATA FOR FISH AND BOY

Name: SONATA FOR FISH AND BOY
Author: Milan Pavlović
ISBN: 978-1-77306-161-0

by Milan Pavlović ; illustrated by Milan Pavlović ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021

A loving ode to art forms that transcends language.

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The titular boy and fish guide readers and nonreaders alike through a dreamy, textless journey.

Pavlović’s watercolor illustrations begin with soft purples and blues, depicting a cheerful fish drawn to the surface of a river by music—it’s the sound of a violin, played by a boy sitting by the water. Exhausted by his practicing, the boy falls asleep, awakening swimming through the air with his new scaly friend through an increasingly saturated dreamscape. The nameless boy and his companion retain their watery hues while floating past musicians and dancers, up to the stars and back again, until landing, Wizard of Oz–style, gently back in their original palette. The violin, abandoned by the riverside, is picked up by an elderly man—possibly the original boy—whereupon he meets and embraces a friendly fish. Emotive, expertly rendered watercolors inspire quiet contemplation and will be welcoming for all ages, encouraging appreciation for the many ways different art forms can transport a viewer or listener. The main figure, though described as a boy in the title, appears almost genderless and is pale and light-haired. Other humans are depicted with a wide range of ages and gender presentations and a variety of realistic and fantastical skin colors and hair textures. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 65% of actual size.)

A loving ode to art forms that transcends language. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 4, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-77306-161-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SUN WISHES
by Patricia Storms ; illustrated by Milan Pavlović

- BOOK REVIEW
THE THING LENNY LOVES MOST ABOUT BASEBALL
by Andrew Larsen ; illustrated by Milan Pavlović

- BOOK REVIEW
SON OF HAPPY
by Cary Fagan ; illustrated by Milan Pavlović

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)