A lushly illustrated tale that underscores living fully, appreciating loved ones, and accepting loss.
A young prince’s attempt to defeat Death sparks serious consequences in this picture book.
Hispanic Prince Horatio procures a crystal, enabling him to “peer into” Death’s realm. His fascination with watching Death, a faceless, hooded figure, surges when his mother, Queen Amelia, and sister, Princess Rose Marie, become ill and fall into a deep sleep. When Death threatens to take them, Horatio traps the figure in a sack and ties it to a high tree branch. Death warns that now “no more life shall begin.” Years pass. While nobody dies, people continue aging, including Horatio’s slumbering mother and sister. On his 100th birthday, Horatio expresses regret about his lonely existence. He frees Death and offers his life in exchange for his mother’s and sister’s. Death agrees and shows Horatio an alternate timeline in which his sister lives a wonderful life. Horatio is transported to the day he trapped Death and perishes falling from the tree. Rose Marie is devastated, unaware of Horatio’s sacrifice. Now “one with the wind,” Horatio awaits his loved ones. Poignantly underscoring themes like mortality, remorse, and fate, Oldenburg’s tale about Horatio’s experiences may encourage readers to consider “what truly matters” in their own lives. Fantasy fans will enjoy the adventurous plot and medieval-like settings. Reminiscent of an animated film, Nailon, Ramos, and Thai’s full-color illustrations have a photographic quality, with shadows, shades, and tones. Background locations feature vivid details, including castles, spindly trees, and green hills.
A lushly illustrated tale that underscores living fully, appreciating loved ones, and accepting loss.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2019
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless.
Comedian, singer, and YouTube star Rainbow urges readers not to let others dim their light.
Young Randy Rainbow lives life out loud. While his classmates wear “dull blue jeans and drab T-shirts,” he sports “brightly colored three-piece suits and sparkly bow ties,” paints his nails, and listens to Broadway albums. After being called a “weirdo” at school, he tries to tamp down his sparkly side. While helping his grandmother sort through some of her old belongings, he stumbles across a pair of magical cat-eye glasses that, according to Nanny, allow whoever puts them on to “be anything and anywhere [they] want.” After rocking the glasses at school and a number of other locations, Randy becomes popular and confident, but when he breaks them on the way to a birthday party, he’s despondent. Nanny reveals that the glasses never had any powers; the magic was in Randy all along. While the message about being true to oneself is an important one, the unevenly paced, wordy text often tells more than it shows. At times it feels as though the author’s trying to pad out a somewhat thin story; multiple examples of Randy sporting his new specs in a variety of scenarios drag quite a bit. Swirls of pink feature prominently in MacGibbon’s cartoon illustrations. Randy and Nanny are pale-skinned; hints in the text suggest that they may be Jewish.
Long-winded but uplifting nonetheless. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781250900777
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
