A terrific exposition of mindfulness, perfectly distilled for curious kids.
The virtuosic Wolf delivers 30 poems exploring self-actualization.
In three sections of roughly equal length, oft-rhyming verse scans impeccably, the better to convey messages of perseverance and self-acceptance. The first section, “Mindfulness,” ranges the widest, delving into concepts such as integrity and kindness. A young taekwondo student narrates “I’ll Be Back Tomorrow”: “My belt slips down around my knees. / I keep forgetting moves I know! / I’m sore and sort of ill at ease. / I’ll still be back tomorrow, though!” Several entries begin with a quote or definition. “Inconsequential” sensitively lists examples that belie its dictionary definition, encouraging readers to consider the world through others’ eyes. “A breeze inconsequential / keeps a bird aloft in flight. / A cry inconsequential / wakes a mother up at night.” The “Meditation” section introduces practical steps (“Close eyes. / Soft sighs. / Sit tall. / That’s all”) and offers poems about meditating while standing and walking. “The Om Poem” is a delightful introduction to the use of the word: “An om is a poem / without any words. / It acts as a voice / so the heart can be heard.” The “Me” section examines emotional intelligence and the importance of being present, with several entries lauding writing and journal-keeping as tools for self-discovery. Orlando’s pictures beautifully complement Wolf’s poems, with plenty of animals, playful perspectives, and thoughtfully diverse depictions of children.
A terrific exposition of mindfulness, perfectly distilled for curious kids. (Picture book/poetry. 7-10)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536228953
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Here’s hoping this will inspire many children to joyfully engage in writing.
Both technique and imaginative impulse can be found in this useful selection of poems about the literary art.
Starting with the essentials of the English language, the letters of “Our Alphabet,” the collection moves through 21 other poems of different types, meters, and rhyme schemes. This anthology has clear classroom applications, but it will also be enjoyed by individual readers who can pore carefully over playful illustrations filled with diverse children, butterflies, flowers, books, and pieces of writing. Tackling various parts of the writing process, from “How To Begin” through “Revision Is” to “Final Edit,” the poems also touch on some reasons for writing, like “Thank You Notes” and “Writing About Reading.” Some of the poems are funny, as in the quirky, four-line “If I Were an Octopus”: “I’d grab eight pencils. / All identical. / I’d fill eight notebooks. / One per tentacle.” An amusing undersea scene dominated by a smiling, orangy octopus fills this double-page spread. Some of the poems are more focused (and less lyrical) than others, such as “Final Edit” with its ending stanzas: “I check once more to guarantee / all is flawless as can be. / Careless errors will discredit / my hard work. / That’s why I edit. / But I don’t like it. / There I said it.” At least the poet tries for a little humor in those final lines.
Here’s hoping this will inspire many children to joyfully engage in writing. (Picture book/poetry. 7-10)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68437-362-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated.
Moving up in target audience from their explanation of reproduction, What Makes a Baby (2013), Silverberg and Smyth explore various meanings for the word “sex.”
In their own ways, Zai, Cooper, Mimi, and Omar respond to information in chapters about bodies, “Boys, Girls, All of Us,” touch, language, and “Crushes, Love, and Relationships.” With skin tones in unlikely shades (blue! purple! green!) and wildly diverse crowd scenes, chances are good that any reader can identify with someone in these pages. Refreshingly, these crowds are diverse in a way that does not appear assembled by checklist. Lively design, bright, clashing colors, cartoon-style illustrations, comic strips, and plenty of humor support the informal, inclusive approach. Each chapter ends with questions to think and talk about. The author’s respect for different approaches to the subject comes through. No actual sexual activities are described except for masturbation, in the chapter that also deals with “secret touches.” The gender chapter tells how gender is assigned but notes “there are more than two kinds of bodies.” The character Zai doesn’t identify as either boy or girl. Illustrations show body parts of kids and grown-ups (nipples, breasts, bottoms, and parts biologically specific to boys or girls) demonstrating wide variety. Puberty will be addressed in a third title.
This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60980-606-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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