Although Rim’s approach may disappoint feminist parents who dislike Birdie’s devotion to the cult of female beauty, most...
Another book in Rim’s series about the elfin fashionista, who, having tackled shoes and clothes in earlier books, now tackles the issue of problem hair with her unique approach to little-girl fashion dilemmas.
Birdie is having a really bad hair day. Mommy decides that a visit to the salon is in order, and in trying to choose a new hairdo Birdie scours a bewildering assortment of styles from fashion magazines. Nothing feels quite right. Her friends make helpful suggestions, but she can’t decide what she wants until she gets home and discovers the perfect hair: Mommy’s, in her high school yearbook! Armed with this choice, Birdie heads for the salon and is delighted with the result—until the energetic little girl ruins the new ’do on the playground. In a rather superficial nod to the importance of character over looks, Mommy reassures her “beautiful Birdie” that “now it’s even better. It looks like YOU.” Birdie’s perky personality is beautifully expressed through retro-styled illustrations that combine watercolor and collage drawn from a variety of fabrics, textures, and magazine clippings.
Although Rim’s approach may disappoint feminist parents who dislike Birdie’s devotion to the cult of female beauty, most little girls (and maybe some boys) will thoroughly enjoy this beautifully designed and whimsical tale. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-22791-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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