A striking adoption tale that opens space for larger questions and feelings.
A young Korean adoptee finds a sense of connection.
The unnamed young narrator reflects on the annual family portrait. Everyone is in “matching clothes and matching shoes and matching laughter.” Yet there’s one distinct feature that doesn’t match: “No one in my family has eyes like mine.” As the protagonist and Mom, a white woman, explore an art museum, the child observes how Mom’s blue eyes are “like ocean waves.” Mom’s gaze makes it clear that the little one is “a masterpiece.” Next, the protagonist goes fishing with Dad, a white man with hazel eyes and brown hair and beard. Amid the idyllic river setting, the two get their lines tangled. Yet Dad’s eyes “tell me it will be okay. Some knots bind us with bonds more visible than blood.” Despite these close familial ties, the child wonders about meeting “someone who has eyes that kiss in the corner and glow like warm tea. Just like mine.” The lyrical narrative follows the child through explorations of fragmented memories from before the protagonist was adopted. The authors briefly touch on the complex feelings and questions of “who,” “what if,” and “why.” Ho’s richly detailed illustrations match the narrative by using warm colors and imagery that blend into one another. Eventually the child weaves together dreams and stories, finding beauty in connections to a birth parent.
A striking adoption tale that opens space for larger questions and feelings. (note from Kleinrock) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780063057777
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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