Not much to share or sink one’s teeth into here.
Rhyming text from a little girl delivers an idealized vision of big sisterhood.
Sometimes her mother prompts her to share with her baby brother, and she does, but she’s understandably displeased by how he treats her favorite things. Nevertheless, she good-naturedly continues sharing; she even starts offering him some of her waffles and her drink, soon realizing that the baby can’t chew waffles and just makes a mess when he tries to drink from a cup. The siblings end up happily sharing a bath and then a snuggle in bed with their mom, resulting in a picture book that fails to deliver much of a story and instead provides an idealized glimpse of a day in the life of young children. Why does sister just go along with baby’s wishes? Readers don’t know. Flat, cartoonish art in bright colors reveals the sister’s subtly changing feelings throughout, but there’s little detail to help determine how and why her feelings, if not her actions, change from one interaction to the next. By day’s end, instead of feeling tuckered out and grouchy, the siblings are simply happy to snuggle with each other and their mom. While perhaps a nice vision, this risks seeming more like parental wish-fulfillment than typical earlychildhood sibling dynamics.
Not much to share or sink one’s teeth into here. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1403-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Treacle drips from every page. Find self-esteem elsewhere.
The voice of an omniscient narrator, who may or may not be a caregiver, speaks directly to an unhappy child with an invitation to a very special place.
The child follows directions to the beautiful title isle “just across the bay.” Ferried across by a toy elephant in a sailboat, the child is given an enthusiastic welcome by more adorable animals and some other children. The little one swims in a waterfall, rides a giant eagle, relaxes in a hammock, and happily engages with some of the other children. Several of the activities are stereotypically girl-associated, and the other children appear to be girls with varying skin tones and hair textures; the little protagonist has light skin and a brown pageboy and is only suggested as female. After elaborate entertainments and a sweet feast, the child is assured that “someone loves you very, very, very much” before being borne safely home. Deep purple, bright pastel pink, and yellow watercolors dominate the color palette, creating a magical, otherworldly atmosphere. But it is also somewhat creepy as well. The Isle of You exists only for the protagonist’s happiness, even the other children there, who appear to have no existence in the real world. Apparently intended to build self-esteem and comfort, it seems to encourage self-centeredness instead, as does the ending play on the pronunciation of the title words.
Treacle drips from every page. Find self-esteem elsewhere. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9116-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
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