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GOOD MORNING, HARRY—GOOD NIGHT, DADDY

A good pick for reading aloud at any time of day.

A split narrative follows Harry and his daddy through their days and nights.

Daddy is just heading out to start his workday when Harry comes home at the end of the day with Gran. While Daddy helps travelers settle into the sleeping cars on the London-Penzance train, where he works as a conductor, Harry’s mother and grandmother care for him and his baby brother. Although Daddy is apart from them, he’s very much present in their routines and surroundings. Family photos include Daddy, the boys reference trains in their play, and at dinner, “Harry helps Baby open wide for mushy peas. Chug–chug–chug. Here comes the train.” Parts of the text adopt a rhythmic, rhyming cadence that adds a lyrical quality to an oral reading: “Whoo-who sings the train, rocking on its way. / ‘Coo-coo,’ says Baby, wishing he could play.” Movement in and out of this style keeps the text light and nimble in its use of poetic conventions. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations are warm in their palette and in their expressions of affection among the family members, especially when Daddy returns in the morning at the end of his shift, just as Harry and the others begin their day. The whole family appears white with light skin and reddish-brown hair.

A good pick for reading aloud at any time of day. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: April 16, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5450-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018

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THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

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

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LOTS OF LOVE LITTLE ONE

FOREVER AND ALWAYS

So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes.

Another entry in the how-much-I-love-you genre.

The opening spread shows a blue elephant-and-child pair, the child atop the adult, white hearts arcing between their uplifted trunks: “You’re a gift and a blessing in every way. / I love you more each and every day.” From there, the adult elephant goes on to tell the child how they are loved more than all sorts of things, some rhyming better than others: “I love you more than all the spaghetti served in Rome, // and more than each and every dog loves her bone.” More than stars, fireflies, “all the languages spoken in the world,” “all the dancers that have ever twirled,” all the kisses ever given and miles ever driven, “all the adventures you have ahead,” and “all the peanut butter and jelly spread on bread!” Representative of all the world’s languages are “I love you” in several languages (with no pronunciation help): English, Sioux, French, German, Swahili, Spanish, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Arabic (these two last in Roman characters only). Bold colors and simple illustrations with no distracting details keep readers’ focus on the main ideas. Dashed lines give the artwork (and at least one word on every spread) the look of 2-D sewn toys.

So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4926-8398-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018

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