An innocent, sweet and charming introduction to the national pastime.
Coach Mike says that baseball players always need to be ready, and Jordan is all set for the first game of the season.
Jordan tells all the details of opening day, from donning his uniform to pregame practice to his exploits on the field, all the while repeating and carefully adhering to the coach’s mantra. The book’s emphasis is on good sportsmanship and the fun of playing a good game. Narrative sentences are short and matter-of-fact with lots of information about the bare-bones basics of the game. Jordan’s concerns about doing well in the field and at bat, his teammates’ thoughts, and dialogue are all placed in word bubbles that add a bit of humor to the proceedings. Words of encouragement are mixed with comments like “I’m hungry,” “Look I’m an airplane,” and other very childlike asides. But there’s plenty of spirit and camaraderie to go around. In this idealized version of suburban Little League, the coach and the parents are universally supportive and cheerful, and everyone is mostly interested in having fun. Torrey’s brightly hued illustrations on white or grassy green backgrounds are filled with cartoony characters who all have the same facial features, but they are given distinctive coloring, hairstyles and accessories that manage to impart a sense of individuality.
An innocent, sweet and charming introduction to the national pastime. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61067-054-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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