Bright, colorful joy for the rainiest of days.
Seeing the window beaded with morning raindrops, the white child narrator can’t wait to get out into the wet, but Granddad says they should wait until the weather clears.
The second installment of a four-part seasonal series (Snow, 2015), this cheery British import celebrates patience, gleeful fulfillment—and rain. The narrator longs to “catch raindrops, splash in puddles, and look at everything upside down.” But Granddad’s busy writing a letter. Ink drawings (deftly executed and weighted) show redheaded child and bald, paunchy, smiling grandfather amicably indoors together while the rain continues outside. Pleasing primary colors pool both in the homey inside vignettes, appearing like puddles on the blank page, and in the rain-soaked, outdoor double-page spreads. Granddad finally gets giddy about mailing his letter, and the two cross the threshold to behold reflective waters lapping right up to the top step, mirroring the sky and house, creating a topsy-turvy, upside-down, wavy world. Young readers will feel exhilarated by this altered reality, etched out brilliantly with lithe linework and gorgeous washes of color. When Granddad and the boy climb aboard a boat and encounter a carnival boat party, readers will revel in the expansive, exciting scene: goofy gondoliers, bouncing musicians, jingling jesters, a picnicking king and queen, a dark-skinned family enjoying teatime, flapping flags and pennants, soaring polka dots and stripes.
Bright, colorful joy for the rainiest of days. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9296-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
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
BOOK REVIEW
So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes.
Another entry in the how-much-I-love-you genre.
The opening spread shows a blue elephant-and-child pair, the child atop the adult, white hearts arcing between their uplifted trunks: “You’re a gift and a blessing in every way. / I love you more each and every day.” From there, the adult elephant goes on to tell the child how they are loved more than all sorts of things, some rhyming better than others: “I love you more than all the spaghetti served in Rome, // and more than each and every dog loves her bone.” More than stars, fireflies, “all the languages spoken in the world,” “all the dancers that have ever twirled,” all the kisses ever given and miles ever driven, “all the adventures you have ahead,” and “all the peanut butter and jelly spread on bread!” Representative of all the world’s languages are “I love you” in several languages (with no pronunciation help): English, Sioux, French, German, Swahili, Spanish, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Arabic (these two last in Roman characters only). Bold colors and simple illustrations with no distracting details keep readers’ focus on the main ideas. Dashed lines give the artwork (and at least one word on every spread) the look of 2-D sewn toys.
So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8398-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
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