A tasty tale of delighting in the magic of both cooking and memories.
A young South Asian girl helps her father whip up his famous butter chicken.
Monica and her cousin Anya are about to go to the park when Monica realizes that Papa’s getting ready to cook. She joins him in the kitchen, where he regales her with his first memory of eating the dish; he, his brother, and his father ate it at a restaurant under twinkling lights as musicians played. It quickly became a family favorite. While the pair stir the sauce and add the spices, Papa gives Monica some words of wisdom. “Ingredients are just like people,” he says. “Wonderful on their own, but even better together.” Meanwhile, Anya is spreading the word to family, neighbors, and friends that Papa’s cooking butter chicken. Just as Monica and her father are ready to eat, the doorbell rings, and their family and friends stop by with dishes of their own. Monica is upset at the interruption, but Papa reminds her that “beautiful things happen when we share food like this.” As they join the guests for a feast, Monica revels in the twinkling lights and a special memory of her own. Though the conflict feels a bit forced, Saigal and Tariq capture the immersive feelings of cooking. Bright and cheery illustrations in fiery reds and oranges and complementary blues create a celebratory mood, while spot-art frames feature arches and arabesque designs.
A tasty tale of delighting in the magic of both cooking and memories. (foreword from Chef José Andrés, recipe for butter chicken) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781664300446
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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