A vibrant read especially well suited for our indoor era.
A spirited boy and his father enjoy a day off in this Swiss import.
While Dad—a hulking, hirsute White man sporting whimsical tattoos and a pink T-shirt with a faux ACDC logo—knits, pale-skinned, redheaded Robert pages through a cookbook. Suddenly, inspiration strikes: Robert will construct a gigantic cake after inviting his toys, Mopsi the dog, and, obviously, his father, to partake. The dynamic duo designs formal invitations, but a sudden gust of wind carries their handiwork off the balcony and down to the street below. Oh, well—on to baking! Safety comes first, and Robert tidies his mess before Dad mixes up batch after batch of “batter” (which behaves more like dough than cake batter). Robert shapes the cake and, once the confection reaches critical mass (twice Robert’s height), festoons the tiered masterpiece with trinkets from around the house. As Mopsi, Dad, and Robert quasi-nosh, the doorbell rings, and the first of a seemingly endless flow of guests arrives. It would seem that Robert’s invitations made their way around the city, leading a race-, gender-, age-, and species-inclusive conga line of cake-craving congregants to the door. Given the scale of this assembly, there’s only one thing Robert and Dad can do: make more cake! The child-centric narrative, with Robert running the show and Dad along for the ride, encourages emulation, and the simple narrative is laced with visual prompts for conversations about familial structure, gender stereotypes, and diversity. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.)
A vibrant read especially well suited for our indoor era. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4431-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Lackluster.
A parent and child introduce a way to make daily separations a bit easier.
At school drop-off, a parent rabbit comforts a sad child and hands the little one a heart-shaped object: “I’m giving you my heart to hold / whenever I’m not there.” The heart is meant to remind the child of the parent’s love, celebrate the things the child does well, calm worries, express joy, and watch over the child through the night. The book fails to spell out just how the heart does anything other than serve as a reminder of parental love, however. For instance, “Wave the heart above your head / to sing a happy song.” What’s the connection there? The heart is always in the child’s possession, even when the little bunny is with the parent, contradicting the opening premise that it’s for when the two are apart. Most troublingly, unlike a kissing hand, the wooden keepsake heart that comes with the book could easily be lost; with the statements that it’s the parent’s heart and that the love in the heart will never end, losing the token could be quite upsetting. The artwork features adorable cartoon anthropomorphic animals of various species, two of which use wheelchairs. The font sometimes fills in the centers of the lowercase g, o, a, and p letters with hearts, which may cause difficulties for youngsters reading on their own or for those with dyslexia.
Lackluster. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781680102970
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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