An often-engaging book that effectively acknowledges and celebrates different ways of learning.
In Hoffman’s illustrated children’s book, a young girl struggles to convey stories on paper.
Jasmine is an elementary schooler with a passion for storytelling. She loves art and hearing her teacher read aloud, but has difficulty reading and writing herself. Her letters on the page are shaky, barely legible, and confusing to others because she mixes up cases and misspells words. She also has a hard time copying sentences from the chalkboard. Her hardest moments in class are when her teacher, Ms. Anderson, asks pupils to read their own writing aloud, or when she must work with others in a group. One day, Ms. Anderson gives her an assignment that makes her confidence plummet: She must tell a creative story on paper. The youngster has no idea if she can create a tale that other people will find comprehensible. Soon, though, she decides to convey a narrative through illustration instead of text: “The pictures came to life on the page as she presented her tale. Jasmine’s story sparkled.” Thus, in Hoffman’s most recent picture book since Big Dreams (2024), a young girl learns to embrace her talents. Although the main character’s learning difference isn’t explicitly identified, this story may inspire readers who experience issues such as dyslexia or dysgraphia, the latter of which seems underrepresented in children’s literature. The narrative might have benefited from the inclusion of an extra moment of conflict, as Jasmine finds her way to visual storytelling a little too quickly; however, this does not take away from the book’s overall quality. Mello’s illustrations feel larger than life and full of motion, whether they offer imaginative visions of Jasmine fearfully stumbling across huge books or being swept away by anxiety or joy. Jasmine is depicted with brown skin; other students are shown with a range of skin tones.
An often-engaging book that effectively acknowledges and celebrates different ways of learning.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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
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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