MOM IS HIDING

Name: MOM IS HIDING
Author: Qian Mo
ISBN: 978-1-64074-117-1

by Qian Mo ; illustrated by Zhou Yi ; translated by Helen Wang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 2020

While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic.

bookshelf

Faced with uncertainty during a pandemic, a Chinese girl finds her inner courage.

The simple, direct narrative introduces 6-year-old Nina, who lives with her mother while her dad works overseas in Africa. One day her mom sits her down to talk about a virus. Referring to the virus as “little monsters,” Mom explains the monsters bring disease, spreading in three ways: “1. Sneezing 2. Coughing 3. Touching.” Her father concurs, adding tips to protect themselves, such as staying indoors, wearing a mask outdoors, and maintaining healthy habits. Days later, reality hits when Nina’s mother isolates herself in the bedroom with a mask and a message to keep away. The mother explains through the door that the grocery store she visited was reported to have an outbreak of cases and she must isolate for 14 days to prevent spread. Emotive brown- and gray-toned textured illustrations portray Nina as she processes her feelings, from anger to fear despite online calls with her parents. Thankfully, Aunt Mary arrives, and she addresses Nina’s concerns with a 14-day plan of action. Empowered, Nina assures her mom that she will take care of her. Narrator Nina frankly worries that her mother will die, and the book ends with her mother still in quarantine; young readers may well have many questions.

While ending with uncertainty, this Chinese import offers a window for tough but essential discussions around a pandemic. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-64074-117-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cardinal Media

Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

bookshelf

THE PIE REPORTS

by Hayley Lowe ; illustrated by Hayley Lowe ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2024

A cozy read to share, especially with beloved older relatives.

bookshelf

A mutual love of pie seals an affectionate relationship.

Noor and Granddad are separated by an ocean (though their locations are unspecified). Still, they share a common passion—pie—which they eat together every summer, when Noor and Mom travel by plane to visit Granddad and Nana. Then Noor and her grandfather bake up a storm. The most special—albeit bittersweet—one is the “time-to-say-goodbye pie,” the signal that it’s time for Noor and Mom to leave. But Noor and Granddad still meet virtually for their Friday “pie reports,” where they discuss what’s going on in their lives. Just before Noor leaves this summer, she learns that Granddad’s health is declining; his “arm [has] been shaking more than usual.” Granddad calls these incidents “blue days.” As Granddad’s symptoms increase, he skips their pie reports, so Noor writes her reports and reads them aloud at their next visit. When necessary, Granddad rests; sometimes, he’s better. At story’s end, Noor gives Granddad a hopeful card that reads “For when you need to find your way out of the blue” and tells him he’s stronger than he knows. This upbeat, warmhearted tale bubbles with sweetness; children will appreciate the protagonists’ intergenerational bond as well as the food theme. The delightful illustrations were created with pencil and graphite sticks on paper, then digitally colored; kids will savor those pastries. Noor and Mom have light-brown skin. Granddad is lighter-skinned, and Nana is brown-skinned.

A cozy read to share, especially with beloved older relatives. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: May 14, 2024

ISBN: 9781459838079

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
DIAPER KID
by Loretta Garbutt ; illustrated by Hayley Lowe

bookshelf

THIS IS A SCHOOL

by John Schu ; illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

A full-hearted valentine.

bookshelf

A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow.

“This is a kid,” Schu begins. “This is a kid in a class. This is a class in a hall….” If that class—possibly second graders, though they could be a year to either side of that—numbers only about a dozen in Jamison’s bright paintings, it makes up for that in diversity, with shiny faces of variously brown or olive complexion well outnumbering paler ones; one child using a wheelchair; and at least two who appear to be Asian. (The adult staff is likewise racially diverse.) The children are individualized in the art, but the author’s narrative is addressed more to an older set of readers as it runs almost entirely to collective nouns and abstract concepts: “We share. We help. / This is a community, growing.” Younger audiences will zero in on the pictures, which depict easily recognizable scenes of both individual and collective learning and play, with adults and classmates always on hand to help out or join in. Signs of conflict are unrealistically absent, but an occasional downcast look does add a bit of nuance to the general air of eager positivity on display. A sad face at an apartment window with a comment that “[s]ometimes something happens, and we can’t all be together” can be interpreted as an oblique reference to pandemic closings, but the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A full-hearted valentine. (Picture book. 5-7)