A sweet and gentle story about an oft-misunderstood garment.
When an Iranian child and her grandmother set off for Tehran’s bazaar, the little one sees it as an opportunity to hide in her grandmother’s chador.
Although Samira is eager to help her grandmother shop, she worries that the marketplace will be overwhelming. Despite Mama Shamsi’s reassurance, Samira asks if she can hide under her grandmother’s chador. Mama Shamsi counters Samira’s requests with clever responses, claiming, for example, that if Samira huddles on Mama Shamsi’s back, the pair will look like a turtle and that if she squeezes against Mama Shamsi’s belly, they will resemble a kangaroo. The back and forth continues until they arrive at the bazaar, where Mama Shamsi promises Samira that she will always keep her safe. The rhythmic, playful text beautifully captures the dual patter of an excited child and a bustling city. The authors’ note, which describes the writers’ own childhood experiences playing with their relatives’ chadors, not only imbues the text with meaning, but also helpfully points out elements of the richly hued, often comedically exaggerated illustrations that they find particularly Iranian and especially meaningful. The authors also stress the importance of offering a loving depiction of the chador to counter portrayals of the veil as “a symbol of hate.” Although the title is a bit misleading (the tale ends just before the characters enter the bazaar), this is nevertheless a charming and comforting tale. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet and gentle story about an oft-misunderstood garment. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-11061-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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