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THE FOUR SEASONS OF THE PIPA

Name: THE FOUR SEASONS OF THE PIPA
Author: Patrick Lacoursière
ISBN: 978-2-89836-015-2

by Patrick Lacoursière ; illustrated by Josée Bisaillon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2022

An immersive experience for those willing to look, listen, and dream.

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A Chinese child lies in bed thinking about their upcoming visit to see Grandfather.

Less of a story and more of a dreamlike meditation in the moments before falling asleep, this picture book centers on a young narrator who imagines leaving the cold of winter to visit Kunming, China, the “eternal city of spring.” Meanwhile, Mother plays the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument with four strings, each representing one of the seasons. Fantastic images emphasizing the natural world, with delicate lines and soft but colorful hues, accompany this journey of the mind but are also balanced by warm scenes such as the grandfather and grandchild strolling through the flower and bird market and slurping noodle soup. Each spread bears a single poetic sentence describing the scene. The book is accompanied by an album of pipa music on CD (and downloadable) from musician Liu Fang; reading and listening simultaneously transforms what would otherwise be light content into a lovely multisensory experience. While the music plays, each page can be savored at length, especially the final, dreamy scene of the child asleep in a bed amid trees and giant flowers, with Mother playing the pipa and Grandfather sitting by the child’s feet. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An immersive experience for those willing to look, listen, and dream. (information on the pipa, the accompanying music, and Fang) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2022

ISBN: 978-2-89836-015-2

Page Count: 36

Publisher: The Secret Mountain

Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
DREAM SONGS NIGHT SONGS
by Patrick Lacoursière & illustrated by Sylvie Bourbonnière

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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
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- 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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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM THE CRAYONS

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2025

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters.

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The Crayons love a holiday, and Mother’s Day is no exception.

Every color is different, and so is every mom. Purple’s mother, seated cross-legged in a yoga pose, “doesn’t color inside the lines.” Red’s works tirelessly to support her family, which sometimes means missing holidays. White Crayon adores his mother, “even though he can’t see her” (the accompanying image shows both crayons fading into the white background), while pale lime green Esteban’s mom supports his “dreams of adventure” by helping him pack. All the Crayons celebrate their families on this day, and not all the parents look like their children or are mothers. Laudably, Daywalt and Jeffers depict a variety of different families, allowing many readers to feel seen: Black can’t contain her love for both her mothers, the hair-covered brownish-beige Barfy Crayon embraces his stepmom, Chunky Toddler (a chubby crayon with a bite taken out of him) pays tribute to his dad on Mother’s Day, Yellow and Orange honor their grandmother, and Maroon, presumably adopted, sings the praises of his mom, a pot of glue who literally holds the family together. As in previous Crayon books, Jeffers’ elegantly quirky and humorous illustrations complement Daywalt’s delightful text, which adeptly balances humor and heart.

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters. (Picture book. 4-8)