IF YOU RUN OUT OF WORDS

Name: IF YOU RUN OUT OF WORDS
Author: Felicita Sala
ISBN: 9781419766886

by Felicita Sala ; illustrated by Felicita Sala ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2024

With humor, heart, and oodles of child appeal, this tale models a flawed but devoted parent’s mastery of love languages.

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When a young girl seems unable to get her father’s attention, a simple question brings it back.

Dad chats with a friend at the supermarket, talks on the phone while cooking, and texts while the young protagonist dons pajamas. Feeling neglected, the child wonders what will happen if he runs out of words: “Will you have any left for me?” The father’s expression registers guilt and embarrassment. With unruly dark hair and a massive upper body ending in tiny feet, he’s a robust yet comical and affable character. He explains that if faced with a language deficit, he would visit the Elves’ Word Factory; upon seeing the containers of “small talk” and “dad jokes,” he’d select “infinity” to guarantee a steady supply. But what if he gets lost on his way back? The child asks a series of “what ifs” as she enacts various incredibly flexible poses on her bed, a stuffed rabbit mirroring her acrobatics—all set against uncluttered white pages. By contrast, detailed, mixed-media settings portray Dad’s increasingly outlandish scenarios of his journey home: He builds a rocket, rides a narwhal, and drinks a shrinking potion so he can fit on a mouse-led rescue boat. Ultimately, loving words and the dramatic reveal of the “infinity” bottle amaze and delight the daughter—and readers. The child is light-skinned; Dad is brown-skinned.

With humor, heart, and oodles of child appeal, this tale models a flawed but devoted parent’s mastery of love languages. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 9, 2024

ISBN: 9781419766886

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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WHEN YOU FIND THE RIGHT ROCK
by Mary Lyn Ray ; illustrated by Felicita Sala

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MY DOG AND I
by Luca Tortolini ; illustrated by Felicita Sala ; translated by Felicita Sala

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YOUR SCHOOL IS THE BEST!
by Maggie Hutchings ; illustrated by Felicita Sala

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CHICKA CHICKA HO HO HO

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by William Boniface ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.

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A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.

The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665954761

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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THE CRAYONS GIVE THANKS

by Drew Daywalt & illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2024

Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers.

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A few familiar friends explore gratitude.

Daywalt’s crayons have observed many holidays, from Christmas to Earth Day. On Thanksgiving, these anthropomorphic school supplies wax (pun intended) poetic about their favorite things to draw. “Blue is thankful for blueberries.” (The accompanying illustration depicts the stubby crayon leaping into a pile of the fruit.) Black, on a page topped by dark scribbles, “is thankful for night skies.” In an aside, Black adds, “Big, beautiful night skies I get to color in all by myself!” (Blue is perfectly fine with this.) Pink pipes up with “Three glorious words. Amazon. River. Dolphins”—which may spur readers to research these creatures. The tale turns a bit meta, too. Teal is thankful for family—both Blue and Green. Red, surrounded by hearts, is thankful for Neon Green Highlighter, who was accidentally dropped into the crayon box—a “dreamboat” for sure. Recognizable jokes from previous works make appearances; these callbacks will delight staunch fans, though others will find them tiring. Standard cheer and platitudes abound; the crayons are ultimately most grateful for each other.

Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers. (Picture book. 3-6)