Grandmothers with both guts and glamour are sadly underrepresented; these Glam-mas will win lots of fans. (Picture book. 3-6)
Grandmas come in all shapes, sizes, and races in this up-to-date portrait of grandmothers as young-at-heart, active participants in the lives of their grandchildren.
The story begins with an introduction to different names for grandmothers, including Abuela, Bubbe, and Oma before introducing Glam-ma—a term that may need further explanation beyond the text for some children, as “glamorous” isn’t a term in regular use by the intended audience. Different grandmas are introduced interacting with grandchildren in all sorts of activities ranging from dress-up play and cooking to karate class and attending a rock concert. The implication in the brief, bouncy text is that attitude is everything and that all these grandmothers are hip, happy, and healthy. Some of the grandmas are quite young, unusual in children’s books but a demographically realistic depiction, while others have gray or white hair (but nary a wrinkle). Characters with a wide range of skin tones are represented, including a cover illustration of a white grandma playing dress-up with her brown-skinned grandchildren. One grandmother uses a wheelchair and two use canes, though the canes don’t seem to be actually needed for support but rather for artistic effect. Bright, appealing watercolor illustrations are filled with expressive faces, lots of motion, and clever details for kids to find.
Grandmothers with both guts and glamour are sadly underrepresented; these Glam-mas will win lots of fans. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-15183-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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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
A delightfully silly celebration of familial love.
A child in search of the best hugger takes a bedtime tour of the world’s most unusual embraces.
In the opening pages of this rhyming picture book, an unnamed narrator asks a curly-haired, tan-skinned child who they think gives the best hugs. At the narrator’s behest, the protagonist spends their bedtime routine receiving affection from a wacky cast of creatures, ranging from meerkats to porcupines to narwhals. These animals have a variety of body types, but even those with a lack of limbs still express their love; the seahorse, for example, gives the child a “smooch” right before bathtime, and a grinning cobra offers the child a “clinch,” wrapping itself around their leg. Although many of the animals prove to be more prickly than cozy—the narrator points out, for example, the sharpness of bird beaks and porcupine quills—even the snuggliest koalas and bears cannot compare to the best hug of all: a parent’s embrace right before bedtime. The use of second-person address combined with the protagonist’s beautifully illustrated facial expressions and the buoyant, clever lines of verse render this book a hilarious and whimsical ride sure to delight both children and the adults who read to them. The pictures and text work together to create a clear narrative arc for the protagonist, and though the ending is a bit predictable, it’s nevertheless a wonderful payoff. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A delightfully silly celebration of familial love. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5476-1236-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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