A sweet spin on the bedtime book that many households will probably find familiar.
Big-sister bunnies Bessie and Lil come perilously close to waking the baby bunny as their mother tries to get everyone to bed.
In a metafictive setup, Mama Rabbit tries to read her daughters a gentle bedtime story about a mother rabbit putting her own three bunnies to bed. It’s quickly apparent that she’s having much less success than her book-within-the-book counterpart. Bessie and Lil don’t settle down as they listen and instead take inspiration from the story’s references to skipping, fireflies and the sound of the word “tuck” to make interjections and bounce around the room. Mama starts to get exasperated but eventually decides to read to herself while her girls occupy themselves by looking out the window for fireflies. When they ask to kiss the baby goodnight, Mama acquiesces with some trepidation, but the girls are very quiet and careful and don’t wake him. Then they kiss her goodnight, too, and only need to be shushed twice before they drift off to dream of skipping about with fireflies. It’s ultimately a gentle bedtime story, after all. Gudeon’s sweet ink-and-gouache paintings, “stained and textured with teabags,” include details that add to characterization through items in the girls’ bedroom—a rocket ship that looks like a carrot, family portraits on the wall and so on.
A sweet spin on the bedtime book that many households will probably find familiar. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59078-934-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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