A realistic, poignant, and affirming family portrait.
Mama loves her child—even on “her bluest days.”
The young narrator lives in a house by the sea with a cat and with Baba and Mama—a devoted parent who lives with bipolar disorder. Like the moon, Mama is a guiding light in the narrator’s life, but she also waxes and wanes, shifting from depression to mania. At times, she struggles to get out of bed; she even misses the protagonist’s school concert. Not much of Mama’s mania is depicted, but at one point, she must spend time in the hospital. Luckily, steadfast Baba is there to keep the youngster grounded. Grigni’s rhyming text is gentle and honest, validating the child’s feelings of abandonment, helplessness, and anger while also making it clear that Mama’s actions aren’t the result of a moral failing or a lack of love. Inspired metaphors help drive home the book’s messages, such as “a heavy fog that hangs over her head,” with images of the child floating through the sky, encircled by a waxing moon. Tempering the difficult subject matter, the artwork has a graphic novel feel, with characters speaking in speech bubbles. In keeping with the lunar theme, hues of purple and blue dominate the pages. Mama is light-skinned, while Baba and the narrator are brown-skinned; some may read Mama and Baba as a queer couple.
A realistic, poignant, and affirming family portrait. (resources, author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781250824295
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
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)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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