A worthy addition to the growing shelf of picture books about loss, death, and bereavement.
A child’s grief is given serious, poignant treatment in this timely story of healing in community.
Jenny’s mother has died. This would be shocking and upsetting to any child and is no less staggering a loss for the book’s young protagonist. While Jenny wants to be alone, the Jewish ritual of sitting shiva dictates that family and friends will come to her home to offer food, solace, and support. Jenny only wants her mother, but when she opens herself to the company of loved ones, she finds comfort and safety. The practice of sitting shiva is generally poorly understood, especially outside of Jewish communities; the rituals might even be frightening to the uninitiated. However, this picture book, with its lovely, warm illustrations and perfectly pitched storyline, provides an accessible introduction to shiva for readers of all ages. While the images of mourning are dark, they promote a deep understanding that unfolds gently in tandem with the text. In addition to being a story about Jewish ritual, this book is also a sensitive, powerful treatment of a child’s grief, with resonant but developmentally appropriate language that will appeal to a broad audience. Jenny and her dad are White. Most background characters have pale skin, and two of them are Black-presenting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A worthy addition to the growing shelf of picture books about loss, death, and bereavement. (Picture book. 5-12)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2772-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone.
A 7-year-old descends into the Land of the Lost in search of his beloved comfort object.
Jack has loved Dur Pig long enough to wear the beanbag toy into tattered shapelessness—which is why, when his angry older stepsister chucks it out the car window on Christmas Eve, he not only throws a titanic tantrum and viciously rejects the titular replacement pig, but resolves to sneak out to find DP. To his amazement, the Christmas Pig offers to guide him to the place where all lost Things go. Whiffs of childhood classics, assembled with admirable professionalism into a jolly adventure story that plays all the right chords, hang about this tale of loss and love. Along with family drama, Rowling stirs in fantasy, allegory, and generous measures of social and political commentary. Pursued by the Land’s cruel and monstrous Loser, Jack and the Christmas Pig pass through territories from the Wastes of the Unlamented, where booger-throwing Bad Habits roam, to the luxurious City of the Missed for encounters with Hope, Happiness, and Power (a choleric king who rejects a vote that doesn’t go his way). A joyful reunion on the Island of the Beloved turns poignant, but Christmas Eve being “a night for miracles and lost causes,” perhaps there’s still a chance (with a little help from Santa) for everything to come right? In both the narrative and Field’s accomplished, soft-focus illustrations, the cast presents White.
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-79023-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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