A testament to the power of comfort food.
A South Asian boy and his grandfather await a new addition to the family.
Simon and his grandfather Pappa are waiting for a call from Simon’s father to tell them that Simon’s mother has had a new baby. Simon is anxious about becoming a sibling; he likes his family just the way it is. When Pappa tells Simon that things are about to get even busier, Simon doesn’t understand how this is possible—they’ve been busier than ever getting the house ready for the baby. But when Pappa says that the two of them should make 100 chapatis—both to pass the time and to prepare some food that the family can eat when they’re too busy to cook—Simon is delighted. He loves chapatis so much that he’d be happy to eat them three times a day! At first, Simon’s chapatis aren’t as round as Pappa’s, but the more he practices, the more uniform they become, until he feels confident enough to teach his new sibling to roll chapatis just like him and Pappa. The book’s beautifully textured illustrations have an intimate feel; the chapatis seem to leap from the page at times. The visuals complement the earnest, clear text, though a few moments may go over readers’ heads—for instance, the ending implies rather than states outright that Simon’s father is calling to say that the baby has been born. On the whole, though, it’s a warm and reassuring read.
A testament to the power of comfort food. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781771475631
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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