An energetic, encouraging tale that highlights the power of the imagination in challenging circumstances.
A child with a medical condition uses his creativity to embark on adventures in this picture book.
Jakob lives in a “bubble” to protect his health. But it doesn’t stop the boy from enjoying imagined escapades with an oversized version of his “best buddy Buvo,” a red stuffed toy. For instance, they visit a place called “puddle land on a rainbow unicorn,” and when Jakob’s grandparents call, he imagines the phone “is a super-powerful teleporter and magnifying glass.” Throughout the tale, Mom reminds Jakob to wash his hands to avoid germs. When Jakob feels sick and scared, Dad reminds him that he’s “a fighter.” Buvo frets when Jakob leaves to visit a doctor. But Jakob explains that “Dr. Mustache will fix me” and returns home feeling better and ready to play. Tucked in bed, Jakob plans his next mission. He tells his parents: “I am going to camp on the moon....I’ll dream about the park, new friends, and castles made of mud.” Inspired by the real-life Jakob Kamil Guziak, who was born “with no immune system to fight infections or colds,” Fernández de Soto AbdulRahin’s story offers a heartening portrayal of a child’s perseverance. Youngsters with their own health limitations will particularly relish Jakob’s amusing, inventive explorations. Mañozca’s lively, hand-drawn illustrations depict fanciful, sometimes quirky scenes of Jakob’s exploits, as when the White hero battles a scary, cheese-filled shark surrounded by emotive broccoli florets at lunchtime.
An energetic, encouraging tale that highlights the power of the imagination in challenging circumstances.Pub Date: June 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-03-912403-5
Page Count: 21
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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