A tasty tale of delighting in the magic of both cooking and memories.
A young South Asian girl helps her father whip up his famous butter chicken.
Monica and her cousin Anya are about to go to the park when Monica realizes that Papa’s getting ready to cook. She joins him in the kitchen, where he regales her with his first memory of eating the dish; he, his brother, and his father ate it at a restaurant under twinkling lights as musicians played. It quickly became a family favorite. While the pair stir the sauce and add the spices, Papa gives Monica some words of wisdom. “Ingredients are just like people,” he says. “Wonderful on their own, but even better together.” Meanwhile, Anya is spreading the word to family, neighbors, and friends that Papa’s cooking butter chicken. Just as Monica and her father are ready to eat, the doorbell rings, and their family and friends stop by with dishes of their own. Monica is upset at the interruption, but Papa reminds her that “beautiful things happen when we share food like this.” As they join the guests for a feast, Monica revels in the twinkling lights and a special memory of her own. Though the conflict feels a bit forced, Saigal and Tariq capture the immersive feelings of cooking. Bright and cheery illustrations in fiery reds and oranges and complementary blues create a celebratory mood, while spot-art frames feature arches and arabesque designs.
A tasty tale of delighting in the magic of both cooking and memories. (foreword from Chef José Andrés, recipe for butter chicken) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781664300446
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
