An amiable story of a joyful child.
Sullivan’s illustrated, rhyming children’s book tells the story of a young girl thoroughly enjoying her everyday life.
As this story opens, Lilah wonders how to spend her time, as “There are so many things I can do with my day.” She knows she must start with a good breakfast of her favorite foods: yogurt and fruit. Afterward, Lilah catches a butterfly in her mother’s garden, and her kindness toward the insect shines: “ ‘You’re so beautiful,’ she said, ‘but I’m setting you free. You belong to everyone, that’s the way it should be.’ ” Lilah plays hopscotch, pretends to be a ballerina, plays T-ball, flies a kite, and teases her dog by pretending to throw a ball while playing fetch: “ ‘I have it right here!’ she said, ‘I didn’t throw it!’ Then she giggled and laughed because the dog didn’t know it.” Eventually, her day winds down. She tries to work on a jigsaw puzzle but begins to fall asleep; she goes to bed and dreams about her day, looking forward to tomorrow and thinking “it’s great to be alive!” Over the course of this tale, Sullivan presents simple text with easy rhymes. It is a story that is certain to appeal to an audience of young readers, with sentiments that are consistently joyful and uplifting in tone. Lilah’s adventures may inspire readers to also enjoy the simple things in life to the fullest. Watson’s cartoon illustrations are simple, fun, and colorful; Lilah is depicted with bright-yellow skin, a pink nose, and orange-flushed cheeks. Watson’s images support the events of the text nicely; a two-page illustration of Lilah running through the sprinkler is particularly notable.
An amiable story of a joyful child.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2022
ISBN: 9781639886111
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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