bookshelf

MY MUST-HAVE MOM

Name: MY MUST-HAVE MOM
Author: Maudie Smith
ISBN: 978-1-913747-71-8

by Maudie Smith ; illustrated by Jen Khatun ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2022

A sweet, environmentally-conscious tale of unconditional love.

bookshelf

A young boy fears he’ll be his mom’s next fix-it-up project.

“There's Nothing my mom can’t do Something with,” protagonist Jake shares. From “tires and teapots” to “traffic cones and soup cans,” his mother sees treasure in trash, scouts dumpsters for hidden gems, and piles her wheelchair with odds and ends that they “simply must have.” (In a delightfully silly scene, she even tows home an abandoned trawler hitched to her wheelchair; it is refreshing to see a disabled character enacting slapstick humor.) In their cozily cluttered apartment, Mom “tinkers and tailors,” transforming her eclectic finds into new creations. A rusty truck becomes a flourishing daisy garden; a “damp bedraggled rat” is transformed into “quite a decent dog” in a humorously absurd montage. But when their curmudgeonly neighbor Mr. Price grumbles that Jake’s “must-have mom” “won’t be satisfied until she’s changed every last thing in the world,” Jake worries: Does she want to change him, too? In a poignant speech, Mom assures him that she wouldn't change a thing about him—he's her “one and only must-have son!”—and even Mr. Price can’t suppress a smile. Khatun’s scratchy, expressive cartoon-style illustrations energetically and colorfully complement Smith’s rhythmic, upbeat text. Mom’s enthusiasm is infectious, and the tender bond between mother and son radiates from their faces, accentuated by warm family portraits gracing the walls of their home. Jake and his mom have medium-brown skin and straight black hair; Mr. Price presents White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet, environmentally-conscious tale of unconditional love. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-913747-71-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lantana

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
A HAT FULL OF SEA
by Maudie Smith ; illustrated by Jen Khatun

bookshelf

THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

bookshelf

Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: today

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

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)