A visually stunning folktale that could benefit from further plot and character development.
Gamarra offers an illustrated children’s tale inspired by Japanese folklore about a mischievous child and a mythical creature.
The story centers on Kai, a boy who lives in the town of Willow Creek and loves storytelling. He shares a tale with his friends about water-dwelling Kappas—green creatures who have turtlelike skin, webbed fingers, and bowl-shaped heads filled with water. They’re tricksters who snatch children, Kai says, so one must keep their distance and speak respectfully to them. Kai’s storytelling scares the kids, and a nearby baker, Mr. Peterson, tells him to stop. The boy retreats to a creek and cries out, “Kappas, come out and get me if you can!” Nothing happens, but Kai runs back to town, shouting that a Kappa tried to get him. Mr. Peterson and the children come to the creek but see no Kappas. Later, Kai tries to find a Kappa again, and a terrifying creature with froglike eyes, stringy hair, and a gap-toothed grin emerges from the water. The Kappa invites the boy for a swim and tries to grab him. Kai remembers to be respectful and apologizes for his teasing and lies. The Kappa bows before disappearing into the creek. Kai runs back to town to report the sighting, but no one believes him; still, whenever someone calls out “Kappa,” the children bow, just in case. Gamarra explores themes of honesty, politeness, and consequences in this children’s book, and her protagonist embodies a relatable curiosity and rascality that will draw readers in. The prose is detailed and evocative, especially regarding the Kappa’s appearance: “A crown of slick, black hair surrounded the strange bowl-like head, neatly balancing the water inside as if it were a little pond.” Pilosio’s intricate full-color illustrations, feature varied textures and create an immersive, ancient ambiance for Kai’s adventures. However, although Gamarra sustains suspenseful tension throughout the book, the confrontation with the Kappa feels oddly anticlimactic. It’s also unclear why Mr. Peterson, rather than a relative, is the only named adult in Kai’s life.
A visually stunning folktale that could benefit from further plot and character development.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.
This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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