bookshelf

THE STORM

Name: THE STORM
Author: Akiko Miyakoshi
ISBN: 978-1-77138-559-6

by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2016

Atmospheric and engaging; this Japanese import is a perfect rainy-day read.

bookshelf

Beach-day hopes are dashed by a storm, but in slumber a mighty ship outruns the tempest; and in the morning, the protagonist finds the promise of a new day.

For a week, a child’s excitement for a beach day has grown. But a teacher’s storm warning and the growing dark sky threaten disappointment. Then comes the rain, beating down with a howling wind, sending the child under covers. As sleep and dreams mingle, the protagonist casts off on a Miyazaki-esque flying ship, with propellers strong enough to “drive the storm away.” Through darkness the adventurer travels, until reaching clear skies. Upon awakening, the child finds a bright, blue sky. Miyakoshi’s black-and-white charcoal illustrations, with oh-so-judicious spots of blue, take readers on an emotional journey filled with anticipation, discontent, excitement, and hope. Her varied compositions and sophisticated technique of rendering cloud effects and light in black and white are compelling. As the protagonist climbs a rope ladder, readers will feel the wind in their own hair and a boldness of spirit, and as the sun bursts forth on a spread reminiscent of those of Chris Van Allsburg, a sense of optimism will pervade. Sparse, simple text allows the evocative artwork to shine.

Atmospheric and engaging; this Japanese import is a perfect rainy-day read. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-77138-559-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE SHREW
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi

- BOOK REVIEW
I DREAM OF A JOURNEY
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi ; translated by Cathy Hirano

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PIANO RECITAL
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi

bookshelf

CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

bookshelf

A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

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)