A book full of the promise of remarkable experiences to come.
Kids rarely know all the hats their grandfathers have worn, but Henri gets a whole trunkful of history in the attic chest of his Grand-Papa.
Young Henri and his mother go for a visit to his Grand-Papa’s (known to Henri as Papa). The resident dog grabs Henri’s cap and runs upstairs with it, all the way to the attic. There sits a chest that is full of all sorts of hats: a race car driver’s, a deep-sea diver’s, a ringmaster’s, a ship’s captain’s, a pilot’s helmet. And with each one that Henri dons, he has a little imaginary adventure in the deep, high in the sky, on the ocean waves. Finally, Grand-Papa finds Henri and tells the little boy that he wore these hats in real life, as a racer and sailor and aviator and deep-sea diver. He then leads Henri up the circular staircase to the widow’s walk and points to the moon. He had wished to have an adventure there, but maybe Henri could do it for him. Wu’s storytelling is crisp and cinematic, and his artwork reflects his day job at Pixar Studios, but it is the promise of life holding adventure that drives this book. Grand-Papa had those adventures of a lifetime but now is an old and creaky gentleman, so if this old geezer could have had all those exciting times, just think what is in store for readers. Henri, his mother, and Grand-Papa all have pale skin.
A book full of the promise of remarkable experiences to come. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4847-0903-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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 sweet, if oft-told, story.
A plush toy rabbit bonds with a boy and watches him grow into adulthood.
The boy receives the blue bunny for his birthday and immediately becomes attached to it. Unbeknownst to him, the ungendered bunny is sentient; it engages in dialogue with fellow toys, giving readers insight into its thoughts. The bunny's goal is to have grand adventures when the boy grows up and no longer needs its company. The boy spends many years playing imaginatively with the bunny, holding it close during both joyous and sorrowful times and taking it along on family trips. As a young man, he marries, starts a family, and hands over the beloved toy to his toddler-aged child in a crib. The bunny's epiphany—that he does not need to wait for great adventures since all his dreams have already come true in the boy's company—is explicitly stated in the lengthy text, which is in many ways similar to The Velveteen Rabbit (1922). The illustrations, which look hand-painted but were digitally created, are moderately sentimental with an impressionistic dreaminess (one illustration even includes a bunny-shaped cloud in the sky) and a warm glow throughout. The depiction of a teenage male openly displaying his emotions—hugging his beloved childhood toy for example—is refreshing. All human characters present as White expect for one of the boy’s friends who is Black.
A sweet, if oft-told, story. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72825-448-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
