Hawaiians do—and should—take great pride in their heritage. This attempt to share it with the world, however, seems like it...
Originally published exclusively in Hawaii in 2009, this reissued title is now widely available, just in time for the upcoming electoral race.
In what is more a tribute to the 50th state than to President Obama, the Carolans explore Hawaiian traditions and link them to snippets from the president’s speeches, writings and interviews. Familiar words such as “aloha” and “lei” give room to lesser-known Hawaiian terms like “pono” (fair or just), “ho‘oponopono” (resolving conflict) and “kokua” (help). Written in rhyming couplets, the text attempts to capture the rhythmic rocking of a Hawaiian wave, yet more often than not, it is stilted and awkward. Some couplets appear to be thrown together almost as an afterthought or filler: “Here is where our president went to school. / Studying hard and getting good grades is very cool.” Zunon’s illustrations, saturated with lush greens and deep orange sunsets, lend a comforting warmth to the Hawaiian way of life. Photographs, signposts, newspaper headlines and more give a homey, scrapbook feel.
Hawaiians do—and should—take great pride in their heritage. This attempt to share it with the world, however, seems like it is piggybacking on celebrity and falls flat. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5230-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
A succinct, edifying read, but don’t buy it for the pictures.
Abraham Lincoln’s ascent to the presidency is recounted in a fluid, easy-to-read biography for early readers.
Simple, direct sentences stress Lincoln’s humble upbringing, his honesty, and his devotion to acting with moral conviction. “Lincoln didn’t seem like a man who would be president one day. But he studied hard and became a lawyer. He cared about people and about justice.” Slavery and Lincoln’s signature achievement of emancipation are explained in broad yet defined, understandable analogies. “At that time, in the South, the law let white people own black people, just as they owned a house or a horse.” Readers are clearly given the president’s perspective through some documented memorable quotes from his own letters. “Lincoln did not like slavery. ‘If slavery is not wrong,’ he wrote to a friend ‘nothing is wrong.’ ” (The text does not clarify that this letter was written in 1865 and not before he ascended to the presidency, as implied by the book.) As the war goes on and Lincoln makes his decision to free the slaves in the “Southern states”—“a bold move”—Lincoln’s own words describe his thinking: “ ‘If my name ever goes into history,’ Lincoln said, ‘it will be for this act.’ ” A very basic timeline, which mentions the assassination unaddressed in the text, is followed by backmatter providing photographs, slightly more detailed historical information, and legacy. It’s a pity that the text is accompanied by unremarkable, rudimentary opaque paintings.
A succinct, edifying read, but don’t buy it for the pictures. (Informational early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-243256-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
The legions of fans who over the years have enjoyed dePaola’s autobiographical picture books will welcome this longer gathering of reminiscences. Writing in an authentically childlike voice, he describes watching the new house his father was building go up despite a succession of disasters, from a brush fire to the hurricane of 1938. Meanwhile, he also introduces family, friends, and neighbors, adds Nana Fall River to his already well-known Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, remembers his first day of school (“ ‘ When do we learn to read?’ I asked. ‘Oh, we don’t learn how to read in kindergarten. We learn to read next year, in first grade.’ ‘Fine,’ I said. ‘I’ll be back next year.’ And I walked right out of school.”), recalls holidays, and explains his indignation when the plot of Disney’s “Snow White” doesn’t match the story he knows. Generously illustrated with vignettes and larger scenes, this cheery, well-knit narrative proves that an old dog can learn new tricks, and learn them surpassingly well. (Autobiography. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23246-X
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1999
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