bookshelf

YOU ARE LOVED

Name: YOU ARE LOVED
Author: Margaret O’Hair
ISBN: 9781338850079

A BOOK ABOUT FAMILIES

by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2023

Overflowing with fond appreciation.

bookshelf

There’s no one way to be a family.

As the book opens, Sofia Sanchez, a White-presenting actor and model with Down syndrome who inspired O’Hair to write this tale, introduces readers to her family—her mother was born in California, her father was born in Mexico, and she was born in Ukraine. She explains that her parents had three biological sons when they decided to adopt her when she was a baby. They have more family nearby and farther away, and they often go on adventures together. The rest of the book makes clear that families are all different. They can live under one roof or be scattered across the globe. No family is perfect, but each is bound by love. Ultimately, families are those that make you feel good, who lift you up, and who make you feel “happy” and “strong.” This extended ode to families is heartwarming and inclusive, depicting racially diverse and interracial families as well as characters who vary in terms of ability and religion. Several characters reappear throughout the cheery illustrations; so many families are shown that they all often mingle in various scenes. The images bring life and energy to the narrative. A note from Sofia's mother closes out the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Overflowing with fond appreciation. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 7, 2023

ISBN: 9781338850079

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU ARE BRAVE
by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU ARE ENOUGH
by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
by Beth Bracken ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

bookshelf

GRUMPY MONKEY

by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...

bookshelf

It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?

When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)