An understated book about losing one’s temper and the love of family.
Ravi is the smallest in his family—even Biscuits the dog is bigger.
Most of the time, Ravi is happy with his stature, but on one particular afternoon on the playground, Ravi is frustrated by the too-high monkey bars and the too-big slide. When his siblings race to the ice cream vendor before him and the vendor runs out of ice cream, Ravi is enraged. “He growled… / and a stripy tail popped out from the back of his shorts. / Then… / he sprouted two furry ears, sharp, pointy teeth, and stripy orange fur. // Ravi had turned into a TIGER!” Ravi’s family is frightened: His brother hands the tiger his ice cream, and everyone vacates a bench when the tiger roars. Emboldened, Ravi conquers the monkey bars and slide but soon realizes that nobody wants to play with him because he is irrationally angry. All ends well with apologies and hugs. While unremarkable in themes, Percival’s tale does depict a South Asian family engaged in everyday activities; that it’s father-led normalizes the possibility that the family in the book is a single-father household. The illustrations are also quite punchy and dramatically flip from full-color to a very appropriate limited palette—orange, black, white—when Ravi is depicted as a tiger.
An understated book about losing one’s temper and the love of family. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0300-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2019
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones.
What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?
Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry—your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else—like a chicken—to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton’s signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book’s important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-48679-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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