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CLOUD CHASER

Name: CLOUD CHASER
Author: Anne-Fleur Drillon
ISBN: 978-1-78285-411-1

by Anne-Fleur Drillon ; illustrated by Éric Puybaret ; translated by Lisa Rosinsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018

Imaginative youngsters who dream of flight or are of a similar fanciful bent will appreciate this ode to creativity.

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An intergenerational friendship produces a flying machine.

Emery’s head is in the clouds. He dreams of flying and constantly sketches airplane designs. While disapproving of flighty activities, Emery’s parents encourage him to make friends with elderly new neighbor Leon. On a surreptitious foray into Leon’s garden, Emery discovers the man owns supplies with which to construct his dream plane. Another day, having uncannily intuited Emery’s passion, Leon proffers a propeller. Subsequently, the pair forges a strong bond in which Leon, whose soaring imagination matches Emery’s, promotes his friend’s inventiveness. Over one summer, they build a successful flier, though not without mishaps. Leon disappears one day, leaving a note urging Emery to continue inventing. Emery’s selfless act of generosity at the end satisfyingly but poignantly concludes the tale. The child-appealing message is clear in this well-written, gracefully translated French import via Britain: Fly high. Alas, the quirky, colorful acrylic paintings are surprisingly static, and the faces of the characters, both white, are generally unexpressive. Emery, sporting an aviator’s white scarf, shorts, and dark boots, has button eyes and wind-swept hair. White-bearded Leon’s body is lean and lanky, and his hat resembles a propeller, amusingly emphasized in one illustration. Lots of white space and areas of solid colored backgrounds suggest openness, befitting the theme.

Imaginative youngsters who dream of flight or are of a similar fanciful bent will appreciate this ode to creativity. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-78285-411-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Barefoot Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

Categories:

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

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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...

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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)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)