An imaginative journey.
A family beach outing becomes an extraordinary adventure.
This flight of fancy begins with an ordinary trip to the beach for a White family of four. After the adults have settled in and taken the requisite picture, the two kids wander down the sand and recede into the distance. Actually, they shrink. Finding a convenient seed pod and using its leaves as oars, they set off for an island. There, they encounter a large egg, save the hatchling from entangling vines, and run from the looming cranelike parent, only to discover that their boat has sailed away. Half an eggshell becomes a makeshift boat, unseaworthy in the giant waves, but, happily, there’s a rescue. Their helpfulness is rewarded. Samworth, the creator of Kirkus Prize–winning Aviary Wonders, Inc. (2014), is much more adept at drawing the natural world than humans. This Brobdingnagian world (to the tiny children) is both appealing and a bit scary. The surreal, outsized flowers are worth admiring, but there are caterpillars twice the children’s height, and carnivorous plants threaten from all sides. Sequential panels suggest the passage of time and add interest to the page design. This is neither as rich nor as well executed as Dennis Nolan’s Sea of Dreams (2011), but many children have wondered what it might be like to be minuscule, and this wordless adventure is accessible even to a quite young beachgoer. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An imaginative journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-61775-976-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Black Sheep/Akashic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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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