An appropriately bright and brief introduction, probably better for younger preschoolers than toddlers.
Tour around San Francisco in this most recent entry in the My Little Cities series; follow a young, brown-skinned child with a baseball cap and their adult as they visit iconic landmarks.
Each double-page spread shows text on the recto and an illustration on the verso. The simple text consists of rhyming couplets portraying mainly opposites in the City by the Bay: “Travel high / travel low” show them at the Golden Gate Bridge and in the San Francisco Bay Ferry in front of Alcatraz Island, respectively, while “Stop to eat / and stop to play” show them eating ice cream with the sea lions at Pier 39 and then flying a kite at the Cliff House. Simple digital collage illustrations in bright colors show them all around the city at such top attractions as Lombard Street, the Painted Ladies, and the cable cars. The diversity of the city is well-represented by smiling people, round-headed with round noses and skin of various different shades of brown. The author embraces San Francisco as a “city of parades and protest,” illustrating “Lights at night / flags in day” with the Chinese New Year parade and then a varied group of people with the letters LOVE and a rainbow flag in front of City Hall. On the final spread are brief details on the 10 landmarks featured, useful for all ages. The companion title Paris, with a similar format, features the same child and adult enjoying the City of Light.
An appropriately bright and brief introduction, probably better for younger preschoolers than toddlers. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5391-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults wishing to expand the worldviews of their young charges beyond Eurocentric interpretations will find plenty of visual...
A retelling of the classic fairy tale with India as its setting.
This latest addition to the Once Upon A World series tells the well-known story of the maiden with beautiful long tresses locked away in a tower by an evil witch and the prince who falls in love with her. As with Perkins’ Cinderella (illustrated by Sandra Equihua, 2016) and Snow White (illustrated by Misa Saburi, 2016), the text has been simplified for a younger audience, and the distinguishing twist here is its setting in India. The mixed-media illustrations of plants, animals, village life, and, of course, Rapunzel, the witch, and the prince come alive in warm, saturated colors. Other than the visuals, there is little to differentiate the story from traditional tellings. As always, it is still the prince who will eventually lead Rapunzel to her salvation by taking her to his kingdom far away from the witch, but that is the nature of fairy tales. The only quibble with this book and indeed with this series is the board-book format. Given the fact that the audience most likely to enjoy it is beyond the board-book age, a full-size book would have done more justice to the vibrant artwork.
Adults wishing to expand the worldviews of their young charges beyond Eurocentric interpretations will find plenty of visual delights in this one, though they’ll wish it were bigger. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9072-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice addition to the series.
A retelling of the well-known Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale with a Russian setting.
The Once Upon a World series travels the globe setting familiar Western fairy tales in different locales. This latest addition to the series is set in Russia and tells the story of the “lonely young prince who wanted to fall in love” and of his parents’ insistence that the bride-to-be be a princess. After traveling far and wide and meeting many princesses who are not right for him, the prince returns home, disappointed. One rainy evening, a wet and cold, dark-haired princess appears at the castle door. Refreshingly, the prince and princess fall in love not because they are a prince and princess but because they have talked and found they have much in common: they have traveled widely, explored the same places, and had adventures. Mirtalipova’s illustrations have a pleasing folksy feel, many pages decorated with pretty flowery borders. One double-page spread of the princess being taken care of by a host of servants is particularly appealing. (With the exception of one brown-skinned princess, all the characters are white.) Though the text has been simplified and the presentation is in board-book format, the intended audience is not the toddler set. And the prince and princess? As with the traditional telling, the princess passes the pea test and they live happily ever after.
A nice addition to the series. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0019-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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