In centering a child of color as a source of wisdom, the book makes a positive statement for young readers
Holub and Patricelli are back with another Mini Myth; here, a dark-skinned, bespectacled tot named Athena shows off her preternaturally advanced fine-motor skills by tying a plethora of bows.
When a white toddler with a spider T-shirt and flapping laces on her shoes sees Athena tying her shoes, Athena helps out. The child then shows off the big pink bows to the others in what seems to be their day care or preschool but must confess that it was Athena who tied them. “I can teach you,” says helpful Athena, and she does. Patricelli depicts a racially diverse group of appealing kids who mostly look as though they dressed themselves. The story is evidently inspired by Athena’s role in introducing weaving to mortals, as evidenced by a closing note that summarizes the fate of Arachne. Companion title Don’t Get Lost, Odysseus! tells the story of a dark-skinned boy with a thatch of black hair who gets lost in a nautically themed playspace while shopping with his mother; a smiling cyclops is a significant feature. This book too closes with a summary of the title character’s original story. Like the others in the series, both books take their source material as inspiration for their themes rather than attempting to actually retell the classic tales for an audience too young to sit still for them.
In centering a child of color as a source of wisdom, the book makes a positive statement for young readers . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1898-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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