Vibrant illustrations of cats throughout the ages are the saving grace of this rhyming story that can’t quite get its focus straight. Each double-page spread presents one famous historical figure and his or her cat, with the occupation of each cat owner worked into the short text and additional historical or geographical context provided by the illustrations. The disparate cast of cat owners is from widely different eras, from Cleopatra to Albert Schweitzer, and the presentation is not organized chronologically, leading to a fragmented feeling for those who can place these figures in context. Additional biographical information is provided for each character on the endpapers, though the organization does not correspond to the order in the text, forcing readers to search through the pages for correlation. Despite these drawbacks, Valério’s acrylic paintings of the clever cats in action are a treat. His bold, loose style uses brilliant colors, lots of motion and witty details to bring the feline friends to life. Kids with cats will enjoy this, even if they don’t grasp much about the historical figures. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5351-6
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
There’s always tomorrow.
A lyrical message of perseverance and optimism.
The text uses direct address, which the title- and final-page illustrations suggest comes from an adult voice, to offer inspiration and encouragement. The opening spreads reads, “Tonight as you sleep, a new day stirs. / Each kiss good night is a wish for tomorrow,” as the accompanying art depicts a child with black hair and light skin asleep in a bed that’s fantastically situated in a stylized landscape of buildings, overpasses, and roadways. The effect is dreamlike, in contrast with the next illustration, of a child of color walking through a field and blowing dandelion fluff at sunrise. Until the last spread, each child depicted in a range of settings is solitary. Some visual metaphors falter in terms of credibility, as in the case of a white-appearing child using a wheelchair in an Antarctic ice cave strewn with obstacles, as the text reads “you’ll explore the world, only feeling lost in your imagination.” Others are oblique in attempted connections between text and art. How does a picture of a pale-skinned, black-haired child on a bridge in the rain evoke “first moments that will dance with you”? But the image of a child with pink skin and brown hair scaling a wall as text reads “there will be injustice that will challenge you, and it will surprise you how brave you can be” is clearer.
There’s always tomorrow. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-101-99437-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
See, hear, touch, taste, smell...and imagine poetry all around you.
A neighborhood walk unleashes the power of poetry.
Kiyoshi, a boy of Japanese heritage, watches his poet grandfather, Eto, write a poem in calligraphy. Intrigued, Kiyoshi asks, “Where do poems come from?” So begins a meditative walk through their bustling neighborhood, in which Kiyoshi discovers how to use his senses, his power of observation, and his imagination to build a poem. After each scene, Eto jots down a quick poem that serves as both a creative activity and an instruction for Kiyoshi. Eventually Kiyoshi discovers his own poetic voice, and together the boy and his grandfather find poems all around them. Spare, precise prose is coupled with the haiku Kiyoshi and his grandfather create, building the story through each new scene to expand Kiyoshi’s understanding of the origin of poems. Sensory language, such as flicked, whooshed, peeked, and reeled, not only builds readers’ vocabulary, but also models the vitality and precision of creative writing. The illustrations are just as thoughtfully crafted. Precisely rendered, the artwork is soft, warm, and captivating, offering vastly different perspectives and diverse characters who make up an apparently North American neighborhood that feels both familiar and new for a boy discovering how to view the world the way a poet does. Earth tones, coupled with bright yellows, pinks, and greens, draw readers in and encourage them to linger over each spread. An author’s note provides additional information about haiku.
See, hear, touch, taste, smell...and imagine poetry all around you. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62014-958-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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