An uplifting variation of the Nativity story.
Leah, the daughter of an innkeeper, leaves the busy Bethlehem market and notices a silver star above her home; might the shining beacon herald something wonderful?
Roman emperor Augustus has called for a census of the entire Roman world, and many people crowd the streets of Bethlehem in order to be counted. Mesmerized by the bright star, Leah accidentally bumps into the donkey of two pilgrims. The man, Joseph, and his pregnant wife, Mary, are in need of a place to safely deliver their baby. When Leah’s father notices the woman’s condition, he offers the couple the use of his stable and calls for a neighbor to help Mary. After the baby is born, Leah marvels at the shepherds who visit the child claiming that angels told them he was their long-awaited king and at scholars (not magi) who travel a great distance to present the infant with gifts fit for a king. Though Leah does not factor into the biblical account of the Nativity, readers familiar with the story will find its integrity intact and Leah an accessible, credible witness. The painterly illustrations are presented in cool, vivid colors, depicting the characters with olive skin and dark hair. The characters' faces are expressive, especially the final image of Leah with the baby Jesus. This book pairs well with Katherine Paterson and Lisa Aisato’s The Night of His Birth (2019).
An uplifting variation of the Nativity story. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68464-224-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As ephemeral as a valentine.
Daywalt and Jeffers’ wandering crayons explore love.
Each double-page spread offers readers a vision of one of the anthropomorphic crayons on the left along with the statement “Love is [color].” The word love is represented by a small heart in the appropriate color. Opposite, childlike crayon drawings explain how that color represents love. So, readers learn, “love is green. / Because love is helpful.” The accompanying crayon drawing depicts two alligators, one holding a recycling bin and the other tossing a plastic cup into it, offering readers two ways of understanding green. Some statements are thought-provoking: “Love is white. / Because sometimes love is hard to see,” reaches beyond the immediate image of a cat’s yellow eyes, pink nose, and black mouth and whiskers, its white face and body indistinguishable from the paper it’s drawn on, to prompt real questions. “Love is brown. / Because sometimes love stinks,” on the other hand, depicted by a brown bear standing next to a brown, squiggly turd, may provoke giggles but is fundamentally a cheap laugh. Some of the color assignments have a distinctly arbitrary feel: Why is purple associated with the imagination and pink with silliness? Fans of The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) hoping for more clever, metaliterary fun will be disappointed by this rather syrupy read.
As ephemeral as a valentine. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9268-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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