An endearing tale about the importance of fostering love and connection—no matter where home is.
Mama dislikes the cold, but her child is determined to help her appreciate winter.
The child watches from the window, rapt, as snow falls. But Mama, bundled in her quilted jacket, “doesn’t like the winter.” The child, who narrates, adds, “She never wants to go outside.” Mama misses the mild winters and humid climate of her homeland, but the protagonist has never been there and knows it only from Mama’s bedtime stories. But this winter, they’ll be visiting Mama’s sister. As the two arrive in Mama’s homeland (though it isn’t explicitly named in the text, backmatter makes clear that it’s Taiwan), the child sees rolling hills golden with sunshine and thinks, “No wonder Mama doesn’t like winter!” A packed schedule eventually leads mother and child up the mountains. Mama also teaches her child about the vegetables they eat on Uncle’s farm. When they return home, Mama stays indoors, bundled up. Meanwhile the child does some research and finds a way to bring Taiwan to Mama. Touched by the little one’s dedication, Mama brightens. Charming cartoon illustrations are infused with a warm glow, even during wintry scenes. The narrator’s growing appreciation for nature and love for Mama shine throughout the concise, matter-of-fact text. A guide to the plants mentioned follows.
An endearing tale about the importance of fostering love and connection—no matter where home is. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781774880470
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones.
Hill and Bobbiesi send a humungous hug from grandmothers to their granddaughters everywhere.
Delicate cartoon art adds details to the rhyming text showing multigenerational commonalities. “You and I are alike in such wonderful ways. / You will see more and more as you grow” (as grandmother and granddaughter enjoy the backyard together); “I wobbled uncertainly just as you did / whenever I tried something new” (as a toddler takes first steps); “And if a bad dream woke me up in the night, / I snuggled up with my lovey too” (grandmother kisses granddaughter, who clutches a plush narwhal). Grandmother-granddaughter pairs share everyday joys like eating ice cream, dancing “in the rain,” and making “up silly games.” Although some activities skew stereotypically feminine (baking, yoga), a grandmother helps with a quintessential volcano experiment (this pair presents black, adding valuable STEM representation), another cheers on a young wheelchair athlete (both present Asian), and a third, wearing a hijab, accompanies her brown-skinned granddaughter on a peace march, as it is “important to speak out for what you believe.” The message of unconditional love is clear throughout: “When you need me, I’ll be there to listen and care. / There is nothing that keeps us apart.” The finished book will include “stationery…for a special letter from Grandma to you!”
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0623-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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