A simple but welcome addition to a small, but growing, number of books depicting Southeast Asian Muslims.
A story of mother and daughter, their day-to-day life in a small Malaysian village, and the love they have for each other.
“Little Aleeya and her dear mommy—Mommy sayang,” spend their days in their kampung (small village), making everyday tasks fun together. Whether it is during prayer (when her mother wears a telekung), doing chores, or spending time with family and friends, Aleeya and Mommy are always side by side. Even in Aleeya’s dreams they spend time together, eating curry puffs in the shade of red hibiscus flowers. But when Mommy gets sick, the little girl must comfort herself and try to think of a way to make Mommy feel better. This autobiographical picture book, a debut from Pixar artist Sullivan, celebrates the vibrancy of life in a small Malaysian village. The all-Malaysian cast evinces differences in skin tone and facial features; Aleeya’s mother and aunties wear tudung/hijab, with long tops and pants, skirts, sarongs, and abayas, while two men wear the traditional kopiah, a truncated cone cap. Aleeya has curly black hair and wears a sleeveless red romper. In one poignant scene she clutches her mother’s sarong and weeps; her joy in another, at seeing her mother recovering in bed, in a T-shirt and with hair uncovered, is palpable. Since Mommy’s illness is never specified, this is a gentle vehicle to introduce many kinds of parent-child separations.
A simple but welcome addition to a small, but growing, number of books depicting Southeast Asian Muslims. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-01590-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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