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AND I THINK ABOUT YOU

Name: AND I THINK ABOUT YOU
Author: Rosanne L. Kurstedt
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0459-0

by Rosanne L. Kurstedt ; illustrated by Ya-Ling Huang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022

Warm and reassuring, sure to be especially appreciated by families with working parents and apprehensive children.

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Even on the busiest of days, parents find time to think about their children.

An anthropomorphic bear readies their cub for school—making sure the little one eats breakfast and gets dressed and giving the cub a big hug before leaving for work. A page turn offers a glimpse into each bear’s day, complete with onomatopoeic descriptions. The parent looks over their to-do list, sends emails (“Click-i-ty, Clack-a-ty”), and gives a presentation; the cub reads to stuffed friends, paints pictures (“DAB! SWIPE!”), and shares at circle time. The busy days are depicted in split panels that alternate between classic pastel colors and, when the parent stops to think about the cub at various points, soft hues of mint green, warm rose, shadowy purple, aquamarine, or light amber. Moments of humor in which the parent discovers a missing button (“Whoops!”) and makes a mess at lunch (“Chit-chat. Splat!”) demonstrate that grown-ups can make mistakes, too, and keep the story from being too precious. Furthermore, this side-by-side storytelling places equal emphasis on each bear’s day, validating the cub’s play as their work. Young readers anticipating the start of school will benefit from both the introduction to daily events and the reminder that they are in their parents’ thoughts all day long. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Warm and reassuring, sure to be especially appreciated by families with working parents and apprehensive children. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5253-0459-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
KARATE KID
by Rosanne L. Kurstedt ; illustrated by Mark Chambers

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THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

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Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEACH IN MY BEDROOM
by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)