A quietly content snapshot of a happy childhood.
A young boy basks in the everyday joy of life on a cattle ranch in Gardella’s picture book.
“Brody knows it’s time when wildflowers begin / to fade and grass bakes golden in the sun” reads one of the author’s poetic turns of phrase describing her protagonist’s alacrity. Young Brody’s life on the family ranch includes playing with the dogs, packing shelves, watching the horses and cattle, and singing campfire songs with the cowboys. During all of these activities, Brody, who has fair skin and blond hair, knows “it’s almost time”—the repetition draws readers in with a sense of anticipation, wondering, “time for what?” The answer is something of an anticlimax: The story ends with a cattle muster, possibly Brody’s first (if not, it’s just another event adding to the sense of idyll and belonging). Mutton brings the ranch setting to life with digitally rendered illustrations that foreground the personalities of those involved—Brody, his parents and grandparents, and a host of big-eyed animals—while offering some exquisite flourishes (the abstract swirl of flowers on page three) and leaving sufficient blank space for the text to stand out. The font has a homemade, western slant to it, which adds visual vim but also might cause some readers to stumble. Notwithstanding such hiccups, young readers should approve.
A quietly content snapshot of a happy childhood.Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781959412328
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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