An accessible and imaginative title for emergent readers just learning to decode and understand the written word.
One gusty fall morning, a surprise blows through an open window into the bedroom of two sleeping children, both with dark hair and light-brown skin. It’s a pinwheel!
“Look,” says the smaller child, grasping the toy, and thus begins a windswept adventure. The child floats out the window with a jubilant expression that makes it clear that this is not a scary occurrence but a delightful one. Floating along, topsy-turvy on the turbulent air current, the child encounters several farm animals also caught up in the squall. The simple sentence structure—“I see a…”—repeats for four spreads naming several common animals, which also seem surprised but not frightened to have temporarily lost their contact with the ground. This predicament resolves when they are depicted returning to their barn as the child narrates, “They go home.” On the next spread, the child too returns home from this unexpected excursion. The whimsical digital illustrations are full of movement. Cepeda uses plenty of white space and creative perspectives to express the fantastic squall that keeps the child soaring above roofs and treetops. The sparse text (just 27 one-syllable words), repetition, and expressive illustration make this an appropriate choice for children beginning to read independently.
An accessible and imaginative title for emergent readers just learning to decode and understand the written word. (Early reader. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3655-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Warm but underdone.
In this picture book from actor Gyllenhaal and his partner, Caruso, a child and his uncle bond on a fantastic journey.
Leo, an avid dancer, is dismayed when Uncle Mo visits—he’s in town for a “rubber band convention.” Illustrations show both with wavy brown hair and light tan skin. Not only does Leo think his uncle is rather dull, he’s also leery of Uncle Mo’s many rules. A rather abrupt narrative shift occurs when the pair inexplicably drive into another dimension. Here they encounter Great-Aunt Gloria (who is very tall and presents Black) and Uncle Munkle Carbunkle (who is very short and light-skinned), who guide them through the Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles. Unimpressed with Uncle Mo, Great-Aunt Gloria says he must take a quiz on “Auntieology and Uncleology.” After several wrong answers, Uncle Mo has a final chance at redemption: He must state his nephew’s favorite activity. When Leo springs into action to dance for his clueless uncle, a mishap leaves him mortified and un-bespectacled. Enter Uncle Mo to save the day by using a rubber band to secure Leo’s glasses. While Santat’s energetic illustrations do much to clarify the narrative, they can’t fully make up for the disjointed storytelling—it’s never clear why the two have entered this dimension or why Leo is suddenly so eager to help Uncle Mo. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Warm but underdone. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781250776990
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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