Perfectly orchestrated: brava!
From their desert home under a full moon, a close-knit extended family accompanies the sounds of nighttime creatures with music of their own.
As coyotes howl, cicadas buzz, and barn owls hoot, each family member improvises in harmony. Uncle Eduardo slaps his hands against his knees, sister Esme shakes her maracas, and the young narrator’s grandfather plays el güiro. The narrator and Grandma pluck guitars, Aunt Ofelia plays flute, and the child’s father hums. “When my mother opens her mouth to sing, / a hush falls over the desert.” Kemp’s poetic text conveys the desert sky’s magnificence. The narrator’s father speaks reverently of the heirloom instruments treasured and played by the family: “Your great-great-grandmother’s vihuela and my godmother’s ocarina…remind us that they’re still alive between the notes.” Gutiérrez Hernández's delicately stylized illustrations excel, particularly in the many nighttime spreads. While the family plays, sings, and dances, departed ancestors echo their actions from above, appearing silvery against a dark, velvet-blue sky laced with nightbirds, moths, stars, and the flashing lightning of an approaching storm. As the family retreats to the large porch, their concert ended by the closing curtains of massing clouds, “The rain on our tin roof sounds like applause.” The narrator is brown-skinned, and the family varies in skin tone; the use of Spanish throughout implies that they are of Latine heritage. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.
Perfectly orchestrated: brava! (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9780823453924
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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