Unfortunate images compromise this ninja mission. Look to Sanae Ishida’s Chibi Samurai series for cultural accuracy and...
Aspiring ninjas attend camp, where they hone their skills and guard the coveted Shadow Blade.
A multicultural group of kids and their teacher arrive in a bamboo forest littered with tents, “Ninja Camp is finally here!” Evenly paced rhymes narrate as the students practice throwing ninja stars and work on strength training. Their teacher challenges them: “Are you fierce and unafraid? / Will you guard the Shadow Blade?” The real test comes when a rival camp steals the blade, calling for a battle showdown. The simple plot reads well aloud. Bright, digitally rendered characters against the colorful natural landscapes will keep readers’ eyes engaged. There are visual missteps, however. Liberal artistic license is taken in the styling of the ninja clothing, eschewing classical Japanese attire despite ninjitsu’s cultural origins. During training, the student with the darkest skin tone is shown last in line, while their white classmate leads. On the same page, another white student overtakes a distressed student of color during a run. The final honor of the Shadow Blade is bestowed on the white student who acts as focal character; this child perches on a rock while a student of color looks up in admiration. The culmination of these portrayals makes for a regrettable message.
Unfortunate images compromise this ninja mission. Look to Sanae Ishida’s Chibi Samurai series for cultural accuracy and quirky ninja fun. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6331-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
Birdsong began her career as a teacher, and the book will find repeated use in the classroom.
A multicultural girl-power manifesto featuring a feisty young girl who faces her day as a knight on an epic quest.
The unnamed narrator puts on her “armor” (a rainbow sweater) and fills her “treasure chest” (a backpack). Venturing forth to “explore new worlds,” she drives back “dragons” (neighborhood dogs on their walk), boards the “many-headed serpent” (her school bus, with schoolmates’ heads protruding from every window), and visits “the Mountain of Knowledge” (the school library) to “solve the mysteries of the unknown.” After standing up for her beliefs—by joining a classmate sitting alone in the cafeteria—the young girl returns home to rest in the lap of an older female relative, possibly a grandparent/primary caregiver, to prepare for the next day, when she can be “fierce again.” Birdsong’s repeated refrain—“I will be fierce!”—underlines the unambiguous message of this sassy picture book, and Chanani’s bold and energetic illustrations reinforce the text’s punchy, feminist-y declarations. They depict a joyously multiracial environment, consciously tackling stereotypes with an elderly, white, female bus driver and a groovy, Asian-presenting librarian with a green streak in her hair. The fierce protagonist herself has brown skin and fluffy, dark brown hair, and her caregiver also has brown skin.
Birdsong began her career as a teacher, and the book will find repeated use in the classroom. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-29508-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions.
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.
In an imaginative ruse that’s maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle–themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and “the boosters fire.” They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. “I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates.” Though he’s afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either—the escape hatch beckons, but NASA’s saying gets him through: “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers’ stomach muscles will ache: “[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot.” Prigmore’s digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer’s crewmates are a motley assortment of “aliens”—among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1893-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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