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BUT NOT PIPER

A buoyant message of familial love and acceptance, despite an oversight in the telling.

In Gardella’s picture book, a happy little girl marches to the beat of her own drummer.

In this lighthearted story, a bubbly little girl named Piper is comfortable being different from her parents and three siblings. And her family is also just fine with Piper not being like everyone else. Her two brothers and older sister bop to rap; Piper prefers to pirouette to Chopin and jeté to Tchaikovsky. They play in T-shirts and shorts; Piper wears a ruffly skirt and leggings. And while her siblings are engaged in noisy fun at Miller’s Pond, scaring bullfrogs and splattering each other with mud, Piper sits peacefully, “fashioning critters from cattails and seed pods and grass.” The nonjudgmental tone of the story, clearly expressed without being put into words, is reinforced by Fabian’s appealing, full-page, watercolorlike digital illustrations, which highlight Piper’s contentment and sheer enjoyment of being herself. The narrative has an unintentional misstep: When Piper’s siblings get stuck in the mud at the pond, Piper hurries home, but a scene in which she informs her parents of their plight is missing, inadvertently suggesting a darkly humorous spin on Piper’s attitude toward her siblings. Fortunately, the mud-covered trio, apparently rescued by their similarly muddy father, appear back home a page later.

A buoyant message of familial love and acceptance, despite an oversight in the telling.

Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2023

ISBN: 9781959412441

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Write Em Cowgirl

Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2024

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

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

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BECAUSE I HAD A TEACHER

A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.

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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.

This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.

A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Compendium

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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