A climate-change subtext makes this polar picnic no day at the beach.
This picture book assumes a direct-cinema approach to a tale about facing fears.
A watercolor landscape rooted in blues invites readers to an iceberg beach of sorts. The anthropomorphic polar bears sport colorful swimsuits and tote balls, noodles, and goggles. A dad polar bear suggests “Let’s jump in!” to his child polar bear. The entire narrative is conveyed in pictures and through what looks like hand-lettered text in speech bubbles, with the child’s refrain of “don’t let go!” punctuating nearly every spread. The child clings to dad even though the little one seems to be of a size and age to go solo in the water. While the child bear desires and accepts a number of beach toys from siblings swimming by, the dad’s repeated suggestion to “float on your own” is refused. Crowded one-page illustrations confusingly juxtaposed across double-page spreads show other family members relaxing, bickering, and playing in the water and along shore ice while boats pass on the horizon. As the child bear continues to cling to dad, the repetitive tale will either grow endearing in its familiarity or slightly stale—until readers notice that a couple of the bears complain about the warm water and melting ice, and a final scene of the child all alone crying for mommy suggests a dire, very short future. Both the visually difficult presentation and the apocalyptic storyline make this one suited for older readers.
A climate-change subtext makes this polar picnic no day at the beach. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: April 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77147-359-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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