A bright, sparkling celebration of a multicultural family.
Two different cultures share joy in many ways.
A family consisting of a light-skinned Jewish parent with a head covering, a Chinese parent, and their two children celebrate two new years. Parallel stores in the illustrations depict the family observing Rosh Hashana and Lunar New Year. While there are obvious differences between the two holidays (“One follows the Jewish calendar. One follows the Chinese calendar”), the focus is on the “many ways they are also alike”; an accompanying image shows the parents holding hands across the pages as they bridge cultures. The gentle narrative reveals the meanings behind each tradition, while delicate, intricate illustrations depict culturally specific practices such as the Chinese custom of sweeping dirt out of the house and the Jewish ceremony of tashlich. “Both New Years inspire delicious dishes,” and two sides of a double-page spread show the delectable new year feasts from both cultures. The children’s expressions glow as they gather with a diverse congregation in a synagogue to sing; on the facing page, the silhouetted family’s happiness is clear as they watch lanterns lift into the night sky. Scurfield deftly uses differing color schemes, with light blue and patterns of white to represent the Jewish traditions, while bold red patterns and yellow represent the Chinese side. As the story progresses, the contrasting patterns and colors bleed into each other to truly celebrate all of the family’s identities. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A bright, sparkling celebration of a multicultural family. (author’s note, visual glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781797212814
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Thoughtful and joyful.
A child of Vietnamese descent fantasizes about the perfect outfit for Tết.
One night, Mai dreams about being a big “STAAAAAAR” and fielding questions on the red carpet. Mai’s literal dream dress is a sparkly silver ballroom gown with a sweetheart cut. After waking up, the child is eager to tell Ba all about it, but first it’s time to get ready. It’s the first day of Tết, or Lunar New Year, and the family plans to celebrate at Mai’s grandmother’s house. Though Mai loves visiting Bà Nội, the child balks at donning the áo dài, a Vietnamese outfit consisting of a tunic worn over trousers. “Stars wear dresses and gowns,” Mai tells Ba. But Ba shows Mai the family photo album, explaining that Bà Nội had her own sewing school in Vietnam and that her students lovingly dubbed her the “Queen of Áo Dài.” To keep their traditions alive when the family emigrated, Bà Nội continued to make áo dài for her loved ones, and the children learned to sew them as an expression of love. Finally, with a newfound appreciation for the garment, Mai greets Bà Nội with a hug, clad in a customized áo dài made by Ba. Told entirely through naturally expressed and well-paced dialogue and accompanied by vividly textured illustrations, this is a loving tale of a family finding a creative way to reshape a beloved tradition.
Thoughtful and joyful. (glossary, “let’s design our own áo dài” activity) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665917346
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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