More female-powered action from an inspired creative team.
Following Special Delivery (2015) and The Only Fish in the Sea (2017), a third adventure from Stead and Cordell finds young Sadie playing a supporting role to elderly Aunt Josephine, whose tales of past adventures drive the action.
Aunt J directs Sadie to ignore the persistent knocking. “It could be a vacuum salesman. Or more likely, a suitor….I have been the world over, Sadie, and today—I will sleep past noon.” But instead of sleeping, she spins a yarn. Beginning with her work as a 9-year-old member of a multiracial scientific team in “the jungles of Peru,” Aunt Josephine recounts sighting a giant frog as it swallows the young son (smitten with her) of the recently deceased expedition leader. The frog’s escape begets Aunt J’s around-the-world journey. “For though I didn’t care much for the admiral’s son, I do abhor a job unfinished. And it was my job to catalog that frog!” Cordell’s visual drollery embellishes the exploits, which include Josephine’s dog, a rhea, a parrot, a tortoise, an ordinary frog, and a few canaries. Thought-bubble vignettes show the group at Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and the Roman Colosseum. Over years, a pith-helmeted Josephine hikes, bikes, dives, and pilots a helicopter—all in exuberant but vain pursuit of that frog. Cordell provides hand-lettered display type for some text along with a houseful of domestic animals and visual clues to Josephine’s and Sadie’s prior adventures. A final page lets readers discover the source of that knocking. Hint: it’s no vacuum salesman. Both Sadie and Aunt J present White.
More female-powered action from an inspired creative team. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4426-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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