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JAYA'S GOLDEN NECKLACE

A SILK ROAD TALE

An enjoyable tale that should spark conversations about the ancient world and diverse cultures.

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Author/illustrator Linenthal (Look Look Outside, 2012, etc.) turns to the Silk Road in this picture book.

Young Jaya’s mother has been summoned to King Kanishka’s palace to bake her famous apricot cake for his birthday celebration. Jaya is sad to see her go, but Mama leaves her with a necklace of three golden coins. After waving goodbye, Jaya searches for her father, only to discover that he, too, has instructions from the king. He must carve a magnificent statue of the peaceful Buddha, a figure he has never seen. Jaya makes a wish to know what this mysterious Buddha looks like, and the great god Shiva appears from one of the coins on her necklace to aid her. Jaya and her father complete the statue and then must convey it to the palace. On their journey, they encounter more obstacles, which they overcome through the power of Jaya’s necklace and the help of the gods Inanna and Hercules. This fun, engaging read-aloud tale offers plenty of action (“From out of the coin leapt the strongest of the gods, Hercules, carrying a ferocious-looking lion skin”). The adventure is richly illustrated by Linenthal in bright, celebratory colors. At the end of the story, there is useful historical information about the Kushan Empire and the multicultural nature of the Silk Road as well as a recipe for Mama’s apricot cake.

An enjoyable tale that should spark conversations about the ancient world and diverse cultures.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-61429-232-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Review Posted Online: March 6, 2019

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

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

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I WISH YOU MORE

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.

A collection of parental wishes for a child.

It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.

Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015

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