Fun to read aloud, as well as offering clever encouragement to think outside the linguistic box.
In the same vein as the droll old bit of nonsense “Master of All Masters,” Rocha’s 1976 tale, newly translated for English-speaking readers, features a lad who insists on using his own fanciful vocabulary.
After asking his puzzled but indulgent parents how a table, a ball, and other items got their names, Marcelo is unsatisfied by their answers and instead decides to come up with his own words. So it is, unfortunately, that when he rushes in, declaring, “Barky’s dogstayer blastflamed,” no one understands until too late that the doghouse is on fire. The story was originally written in Portuguese, and this version is a real tour de force for translator Goldfajn. Not only is the narrative peppered with original coinages that make sense (of a sort) in English, but it’s also infused with general wordplay: “And why, in this Latin language, is a table not called a chair, and a chair is not called hair, and hair is not called bear?” Rather than taking a calamitous turn, the story has a warm feel as Marcelo’s parents take their son’s quirks in stride, just doing their best to keep up with his pronouncements. Matsusaki’s illustrations, also new, underscore the episode’s more surreal aspects by incorporating snipped-out fragments of photos into each scene, including depictions of faces and hands; several figures, among them Marcelo and his mother, have darker skin than others.
Fun to read aloud, as well as offering clever encouragement to think outside the linguistic box. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781734783995
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tapioca Stories
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early...
Elephant and Piggie make an appearance to introduce the first in their new series, an egalitarian introduction to superlatives.
Each one of seven blades of talking grass—of a total of eight—discovers that it is superb at something: it’s tallest, curliest, silliest, and so forth. The humor aims to appeal to a broad spectrum. It is slightly disturbing that one being eaten by purple bugs is proud of being the crunchiest, but that will certainly appeal to a slice of the audience. The eighth blade of grass is grappling with a philosophical identity crisis; its name is Walt, a sly reference to Whitman's Leaves of Grass that will go right over the heads of beginning readers but may amuse astute parents or teachers. Tension builds with the approach of a lawn mower; the blades of grass lose their unique features when they are trimmed to equal heights. Mercifully, they are chopped off right above the eyes and can continue their silly banter. Departing from the image of a Whitman-esque free spirit, Walt now discovers he is the neatest. Lots of speech bubbles, repetition, and clear layout make this entry a useful addition to lessons on adjectives and superlatives while delivering a not-so-subtle message that everyone is good at something. Elephant and Piggie's final assertion that “this book is the FUNNIEST” doesn't necessarily make it so, however.
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2635-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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