by Terry Farish & O.D. Bonny ; illustrated by Ken Daley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 2021
A wonderful book that humanizes refugees through a focus on joy in everyday life, even in asylum.
A resettled refugee kid loves his people’s ways of life and strives to feel at home in his new country.
Joseph’s memories of the tented refugee camp in East Africa, where he used to live, are full of people eating together, dancing, and playing. In his new city, likely in North America, he especially misses the presence of a crowd of people when eating. He tries to invite others to join him and his mother over food, but his relatives, math teacher, and neighbors are all busy. Whoosh, his cheerful neighbor, an Afro-Latinx girl with ribbons in her curly hair, is excited about the food Joseph brings to school: kwon and dek ngor, traditional to his Acholi people of South Sudan and northern Uganda. Colorful dynamic illustrations, including portrayals of food aromas that ignite Joseph’s memories, “white gold” moonlight, and people laughing and dancing, create an uplifting, fun, and energized vibe throughout the book. Featured children and adults are mostly black and brown, and Joseph’s and Whoosh’s mothers wear fabrics with printed floral or geometric designs, including those associated with the African continent. A glossary explains vocabulary possibly new to some readers. At last, Whoosh and her mami join for dinner, bringing food of their own. The kids help prepare a feast where friendship grows and Joseph finds a feeling of home. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A wonderful book that humanizes refugees through a focus on joy in everyday life, even in asylum. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77306-438-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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SEEN & HEARD
by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020
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
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