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SARDINES OF LOVE

Name: SARDINES OF LOVE
Author: Zuriñe Aguirre
ISBN: 978-1-84643-727-4

by Zuriñe Aguirre ; illustrated by Zuriñe Aguirre ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2015

A delightfully “fishy” love story from Spain.

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When Grandmother Lola vanishes while fishing for sardines, Grandfather Lolo cries endless tears.

Lolo loves sardines and fishes for them daily with Jeff, an octopus, nearby. Even though Lola detests sardines, she sells them in her fish shop and cooks them for Lolo. One day Lola runs out of sardines; not wanting Lolo to go hungry, she goes fishing. Incredibly, a big sardine pulls her right into Jeff’s belly, which Lola discovers is “like a house.” (Really—there is a rug, pictures on the wall, and even a cookstove.) Inside Jeff’s belly, sardines are the only thing to eat, and Lola discovers “they were really tasty” and begins to experiment cooking them different ways. Meanwhile, when Lolo finds Lola missing, he can’t stop crying and floats on his tears into the ocean, where he finds Lola happily feasting on sardines inside Jeff. Using simple shapes, a retro palette of aqua, red, tan, and white, and unadorned flat backgrounds, the sophisticated, tongue-in-cheek illustrations infuse this bizarre story with whimsy and wit. Quiet domestic scenes of Lolo fishing and Lola frying sardines contrast with surreal views of Lola inside Jeff and Lolo lying on Jeff’s tentacle. Close-ups of Lolo’s tattoo proclaiming “I love sardines,” Lola’s tattoo of a heart inscribed with “Lolo,” and Lola’s new tattoo of a sardine add subtle visual humor.

A delightfully “fishy” love story from Spain. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-84643-727-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Child's Play

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DAY LADYBUG DREW A GIANT BALL OF FLUFF
by José Carlos Román ; illustrated by Zuriñe Aguirre ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow

- BOOK REVIEW
JOY THE ELF
by Carmen Gil ; illustrated by Zuriñe Aguirre ; translated by Ben Dawlatly

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

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Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.