A sweet story spiced with cultural humor and life lessons.
Cousins with opposite temperaments learn to work together to celebrate Grandma’s birthday.
In this picture book, Ginger and Chrysanthemum are “as close as two beans in a pod,” even as they diverge in their preparations for Grandma’s party, to be held at her restaurant. Excitable Ginger is spontaneous in getting dressed and in her shopping impulses. Calm Chrysanthemum’s planning is so comprehensive and precise that she itemizes “give present” and “have fun!” on her to-do list. Upon arriving at Grandma’s New Asian Kitchen and volunteering to make her birthday cake, the girls nearly fail at their joint task because Ginger dismisses Grandma’s recipe as “just a fancy list.” Her mishaps inspire quick thinking and a green-tea substitute, and together, the cousins create a surprising cake that Grandma loves. Plot, setting, and context suggest the girls and Grandma are of Chinese descent. Describing the warm-versus-cool essences of foods according to Chinese traditional belief, the author demonstrates complementary forces striking a balance, as personified by protagonists named after edible plants. Reminiscent of poster art and comic sketches from another era, the illustrations embody a hint of nostalgia. Readers familiar with Chinese cultural motifs will recognize a twist in the design of the jade pendant the girls select as a gift: Instead of its traditional association with weddings, here it may reference the “double happiness” the two girls bring Grandma.
A sweet story spiced with cultural humor and life lessons. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64614-001-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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