Absolutely shines.
The many brilliant ways the sun lifts, warms, and nourishes the world.
Spanning morning to night, with each spread featuring children in a different country, this book introduces readers to the sun. With short, graceful text and retro illustrations featuring bright, bold shapes, this is a science—and culture—lesson for the youngest set. Beginning in Madagascar, the sun rises over a child in bed while rainforest animals peer in through the window. “Good morning, Sun!” Next is Japan, with two tots stretching from their futons on the floor, ready to start the day. “The Sun tickles our eyes / so that we wake up // and lights our table / while we have breakfast.” At the morning meal, readers are swept to Iran, where a youngster eats at a low table with many colorful dishes. Readers visit 14 countries in total, from Mexico and Italy to Mali and South Korea, each with the golden sun shining in the sky. Ejaita juxtaposes warm yellows and oranges against cool turquoises and blues; each burst of color radiates energy. The science is kept simple yet is still informative (“The Sun feeds our trees / our air, // and our water”). The warmth of the subject matches the warmth that pours from the pages. The characters have skin the (many and vibrant) color of the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Absolutely shines. (Informational picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593659854
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience.
Flash those pearly whites!
Renowned poet Florian’s jaunty rhymes suggest that a hygiene ritual many children consider bothersome can be “fun! fun! fun!” Each spread features lively scenes showing kids demonstrating tooth- and mouth-cleansing techniques as well as two couplets in which the second exclamatory lines—containing a word repeated three times—rhyme with each other (“Toothpaste on the / brush! brush! brush!” “Take your time. / Don’t rush! rush! rush!”). Parents and caregivers seeking an enjoyable, stimulating way to motivate youngsters to perform this important daily task may wish to recite the rollicking verses to provide a pleasant, rhythmic, chanting “background” whenever their kids wield their toothbrushes. The colorful, energetic illustrations depict happy, wide-eyed, racially diverse small children—some with missing teeth—taking care of their oral-hygiene business with gusto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1340-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this.
A lushly illustrated picture book with a troubling message.
Little Lala walks with her father after his successful day of fishing. When Mama calls her home for bed, a host of “good night”s delays her: to the bird, the monkey, and even the rock. As Lala wanders through her village in the darkening twilight, readers appreciate its expansive beauty and Lala’s simple joys. Although it’s been artfully written and richly illustrated by an award-winning author of many multicultural stories, this book has problems that overshadow its beauty. “African veld” sets the story in southern Africa, but its vague locale encourages Americans to think that distinctions among African countries don’t matter. Lala wears braids or locks that stick straight up, recalling the 19th-century pickaninny, and her inconsistent skin color ranges from deep ebony like her father’s to light brown. Shadows may cause some of these differences, but if it weren’t for her identifiable hair, readers might wonder if the same child wanders from page to page. Perhaps most striking of all is Lala’s bedtime story: not an African tale but an American classic. While this might evoke nostalgia in some readers, it also suggests that southern Africa has no comparably great bedtime books for Lala, perhaps in part because American children’s literature dominates the world market.
If Black Lives Matter, they deserve more specificity than this. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17384-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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