A serviceable title on friendship.
Do friends always have to enjoy the same activities?
Hannah, white with long brown braids and dressed in a deep pink jumper, cheers with her sparkly pompoms. She loves to smile, and she keeps a unicorn in her bike basket. When Sunny Everbright moves in nearby, Hannah imagines a cheerful white blonde dressed in bright colors. To the contrary, Sunny has pale skin and messy black hair, jeans, and black sneakers. She answers “no” to Hannah’s excited questions: “Do you like riding bikes?…Finding butterflies?…Drawing unicorns?” When Hannah tries to “teach Sunny Everbright how to be happy” by saying “For drawing hearts, magenta is your go-to color,” Sunny draws a black spider. When Hannah shows her how to make daisy chains, Sunny finds a spider and a web. When Hannah coos, “If you need a smile, the strawberry is your go-to fruit,” Sunny plops in the mud. Suddenly, it begins to rain, and Sunny begins to enjoy herself. A very confused Hannah finds solace on her jeans-wearing mom’s lap as her mother wisely explains: “We all find happiness in different ways, Hannah.” The next morning, an invitation arrives to “play in the rain,” complete with a lizard twirling a pompom. Comical illustrations are colorful and movement-filled, combining sketching with digital programs; Sunny is likely to be read as either white or Asian. The text can be a little precious but succeeds in validating both girls’ preferences.
A serviceable title on friendship. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-232233-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Accessible, reassuring and hopeful.
This endearing picture book about a timid boy who longs to belong has an agenda but delivers its message with great sensitivity.
Brian wants to join in but is overlooked, even ostracized, by his classmates. Readers first see him alone on the front endpapers, drawing in chalk on the ground. The school scenarios are uncomfortably familiar: High-maintenance children get the teacher’s attention; team captains choose kickball players by popularity and athletic ability; chatter about birthday parties indicates they are not inclusive events. Tender illustrations rendered in glowing hues capture Brian’s isolation deftly; compared to the others and his surroundings, he appears in black and white. What saves Brian is his creativity. As he draws, Brian imagines amazing stories, including a poignant one about a superhero with the power to make friends. When a new boy takes some ribbing, it is Brian who leaves an illustrated note to make him feel better. The boy does not forget this gesture. It only takes one person noticing Brian for the others to see his talents have value; that he has something to contribute. Brian’s colors pop. In the closing endpapers, Brian’s classmates are spread around him on the ground, “wearing” his chalk-drawn wings and capes. Use this to start a discussion: The author includes suggested questions and recommended reading lists for adults and children.
Accessible, reassuring and hopeful. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-582-46450-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
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