A useful introduction to an Iranian tradition and other similar celebrations.
A Persian girl realizes that many of her friends from other cultures have their own traditions for celebrating the new year in Podemski’s picture book.
Jasmine is nervous. She and her grandmother, Mamani, are making a Haft Sin, a Persian New Year’s table display, for Jasmine’s class—but what if her friends think her family’s tradition is weird? Worse, what if they don’t like Mamani? Mamani is Jasmine’s best friend (“She always listens when Jasmine needs to talk”). Jasmine’s nervous that her class will think Mamani’s accent is funny, or will make fun of how she sometimes messes up words. But when Mamani and Jasmine start to share, Jasmine learns that classmate Bing celebrates Chinese New Year, Sarah celebrates Rosh Hashana, and Pria celebrates Diwali. While there have been other stories about family members visiting a class to share a tradition, few of them have focused to this degree on the commonalities children from various cultures share. Podemski’s approachable prose effectively introduces Haft Sin and Nowruz, the Persian New Year, drawing connections to other New Year’s meals and traditions. Podemski’s illustrations are soft-edged in a way that lacks polish—most of the elements are painterly, but some digital insertions, like geometrically rigid bookshelves and classroom tables, are jarring. The image of the Haft Sin display is the most engaging, including labels that detail the various elements.
A useful introduction to an Iranian tradition and other similar celebrations.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798989918003
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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