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FEELINGS

Name: FEELINGS
Author: Libby Walden
ISBN: 978-1-68010-093-8

by Libby Walden ; illustrated by Richard Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018

Slightly simplistic rhymes that nevertheless will help explain feelings to youngsters.

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“Looking from the outside, I may seem the same as you, / but deep beneath the surface, feelings bubble, stir, and brew….”

From the cutout in the center of the cover and every page before the last, a child in knit cap and red wellies stares placidly as the scene changes with each page turn to suit a different feeling described in two couplets. British author Walden describes “brave,” “sad,” “angry,” “happy,” “jealous,” “alone,” “embarrassed,” “excited,” “afraid,” and “calm.” The simple descriptions mostly fit and won’t surprise adults: Envy is an “emerald mist,” choler is a volcano, sadness is a flood. Jones’ pastel images with ruddy highlights, some filling the page and others in small panels, depict animals and weather and other children, deftly extending the rhymed definitions, and offer identifiable visuals for young listeners. The final pair of couplets are set on a spread that shows the focal, light-skinned child sharing a country lane with other children of different races; they offer the oversimplified idea that “what you feel is who you are,” though they do go on to say we should accept that others have feelings too as we accept and “claim” our own.

Slightly simplistic rhymes that nevertheless will help explain feelings to youngsters. (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68010-093-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
AS WE GROW
by Libby Walden ; illustrated by Richard Jones

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ON THE MOUNTAIN
by Libby Walden ; illustrated by Clover Robin

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BUG HOTEL
by Libby Walden & illustrated by Clover Robin

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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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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

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The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)