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
Sugary uplift, shrink-wrapped for the masses.
An elusive new quarry leads the How To Catch… kids on a merry chase through a natural history museum.
Taking at least a step away from the “hunters versus prey” vibe of previous entries in the popular series, the racially diverse group of young visitors dashes through various museum halls in pursuit of the eponymous dino—whose quest to “spread kindness and joy ’round the world” takes the form of a mildly tumultuous museum tour. In most of Elkerton’s overly sweet, color-saturated scenes, only portions of the Loveosaurus, who is purple and covered with pink hearts, are visible behind exhibits or lumbering off the page. But the children find small enticements left behind, from craft supplies to make cards for endangered species to pictures of smiley faces, candy heart–style personal notes (“You Rock!” “Give Hugs”), and, in the hall of medieval arms and armor, a sign urging them to “Be Honest Be Kind.” The somewhat heavy-handed lesson comes through loud and clear. “There’s a message, he wants us to think,” hints Walstead to clue in more obtuse readers…and concluding scenes of smiling people young and otherwise exchanging hugs and knuckle bumps, holding doors for a wheelchair rider, and dancing through clouds of sparkles indicate that they, at least, have gotten it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sugary uplift, shrink-wrapped for the masses. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 9781728268781
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area.
A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background.
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7733-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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