DANIEL AND ISMAIL

Name: DANIEL AND ISMAIL
Author: Juan Pablo Iglesias
ISBN: 978-1-63206-156-0

by Juan Pablo Iglesias ; illustrated by Alex Peris ; translated by Ilan Stavans & Eliezer Nowodworski & Freida Press-Danieli & Randa Sayegh ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2019

Well-meaning but simplistic.

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In this picture book, two young boys living in an unidentified, presumably Israeli city happen to meet in a park and share a game of soccer.

Each bears a ball received as a birthday gift the prior day. For goal markers, they use their other gifts—for Daniel, a tallit (a shawl worn at synagogue) and for Ismail, a kaffiyeh (a Palestinian scarf). When each boy absent-mindedly takes the other’s garment home, parental dismay ensues, with each set of parents shouting, “Where did you get that? Do you know what it means?” The boys have nightmares, with visions of violence they have seen in news accounts. They swap items at the park the following day, along with mutual words of understanding—and resume playing soccer. Translated from the original Chilean Spanish, the minimalist text is displayed in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. As in any book involving this pairing of characters, readers must expect a message. Young children, who are the audience for this book, may well take these encounters at face value—as merely games of soccer. Adults will approach the story from their own vantage points, well knowing the endemic imbalance of power behind the scenes. Given the complexities this picture book tries to contain, it’s too bad there is no guide for caregivers to help them navigate a discussion of this issue with children.

Well-meaning but simplistic. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-63206-156-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Restless Books

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)