A useful introduction to an Iranian tradition and other similar celebrations.
A Persian girl realizes that many of her friends from other cultures have their own traditions for celebrating the new year in Podemski’s picture book.
Jasmine is nervous. She and her grandmother, Mamani, are making a Haft Sin, a Persian New Year’s table display, for Jasmine’s class—but what if her friends think her family’s tradition is weird? Worse, what if they don’t like Mamani? Mamani is Jasmine’s best friend (“She always listens when Jasmine needs to talk”). Jasmine’s nervous that her class will think Mamani’s accent is funny, or will make fun of how she sometimes messes up words. But when Mamani and Jasmine start to share, Jasmine learns that classmate Bing celebrates Chinese New Year, Sarah celebrates Rosh Hashana, and Pria celebrates Diwali. While there have been other stories about family members visiting a class to share a tradition, few of them have focused to this degree on the commonalities children from various cultures share. Podemski’s approachable prose effectively introduces Haft Sin and Nowruz, the Persian New Year, drawing connections to other New Year’s meals and traditions. Podemski’s illustrations are soft-edged in a way that lacks polish—most of the elements are painterly, but some digital insertions, like geometrically rigid bookshelves and classroom tables, are jarring. The image of the Haft Sin display is the most engaging, including labels that detail the various elements.
A useful introduction to an Iranian tradition and other similar celebrations.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798989918003
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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