A raucous tale for young noodle enthusiasts.
Grant’s rhyming picture book introduces kids to various pasta varieties.
Charli is a young girl who can’t get enough noodles. Clad in a tutu with her hair in wild, noodle-y blond curls, she declares, “I do not care what goes on top! Just don’t let the noodles stop!” The scenes alternate between relatively realistic and whimsical as Charli lassos her younger brother with fettucine, shreds on a linguine-strung guitar, and has a fusilli food fight with family. On ravioli-shaped pillows, Charli dreams of noodles dancing, and the silliness continues as Charli cleans outs the shelves in a grocery store’s pasta aisle. Overall, this is a lighthearted, hyperbolic read-aloud. It offers plenty of pasta terminology throughout, with Charli’s doll sometimes helpfully holding up a pronunciation guide; the rhyme scheme is well maintained throughout. The story ends with Charli asking to share her noodles with the reader, followed by a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs and a glossary of noodle shapes. Weaver’s cute, full-color illustrations features some airbrushed details that look a bit muddy, but this doesn’t affect the whimsy. Charli is depicted in the illustrations as White, and secondary characters have a range of skin tones.
A raucous tale for young noodle enthusiasts.Pub Date: June 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73464-788-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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