bookshelf

ROU AND THE GREAT RACE

Name: ROU AND THE GREAT RACE
Author: Pam Fong
ISBN: 978-1-4788-6952-8

by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 2020

Simple but effective.

bookshelf

A young girl nurtures nature in spite of her surroundings.

Amid towering buildings and next to a lone metallic tree, a robot posts a sign stating “More city coming soon.” In Rou’s steampunk-y city, children compete in an annual footrace for the chance to pluck and keep a rare bloom. Rou is determined to win and present it to her grandmother, who remembers the time when flowers were abundant, before the Power People hoarded them for themselves. During the chaotic race the precious flower is trampled. Rou rescues the sprout and, the following year, creates her own floral tradition in the spirit of sharing. Throughout the book, the dusty rose-colored clothing of Rou and her grandmother echo the vivacity of the blooming flowers and warmly contrast against the stark, lifeless gray of the city landscape. Soft edges and shading, as well as playful details such as Rou’s one-eyed, egg-shaped robot, also lighten the emotional tone. This cautionary tale about urban overdevelopment and inequity also highlights how Rou is empowered through her generosity. Rou has pale peach skin, two black pigtails, and dark brown eyes while Grandma has pale peach skin, gray hair, and curved brown slits beneath her glasses. There is some diversity among the other city dwellers, but most are pale-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30% of actual size.)

Simple but effective. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-4788-6952-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Reycraft Books

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
HEDGEHOG AND THE LOG
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN THE FOG ROLLS IN
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

- BOOK REVIEW
A SPARK IN THE DARK
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

bookshelf

LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

bookshelf

Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

bookshelf

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

bookshelf

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)