Readers should leap at the chance to acquire this winning tale.
Parallel mother-and-child stories unite whales and humans.
While similarities between these marine mammals and people may not be immediately apparent, Neal invites readers to consider how alike we are, placing scenes of a mother whale and calf on the verso of each spread and a tan-skinned human mother and child on the recto. “We move side by side. Mama always stays close,” reads the text as the cetacean pair swim close together and the people walk hand in hand through an urban environment (details establish the setting as New York City). This initial, straightforward juxtaposition leads to more inventive, delightful ones, beginning with, “We pass long columns.” Here, a low visual perspective shows the calf gazing at beams of light, while on the other side of the spread, the child looks up at skyscrapers. Pleasing connections between whales and humans continue, with schools of fish likened to crowds of people, the whales breaking the water’s surface compared to the humans emerging from an underground subway stop, and so on. At book’s end, the people go whale-watching, and the title’s meaning is brought to life as they jump for joy on the ship’s deck while the animals leap from the water, the illustration now a cohesive, full-bleed double-spread. Neal’s inspired composition and concise, child-friendly text pair together seamlessly, while simple backmatter illuminates whale behavior, encouraging readers to empathize with these intelligent, social, endangered creatures.
Readers should leap at the chance to acquire this winning tale. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593812648
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.
Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.
Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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