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MY MOTHER’S SARI

Name: MY MOTHER’S SARI
Author: Sandhya Rao
ISBN: 0-7358-2101-1

by Sandhya Rao & illustrated by Nina Sabnani ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2006

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In this simple story, minimal text explains what a sari looks like and describes some of the uses to which a child might put it. As children dance, hide, climb, wipe their noses and sleep in their mothers’ long and brightly colored saris, it becomes clear that saris—and by extension, their children’s mothers—play an important part in the children’s lives. Originally published in India, the story does not explain that saris are worn as clothing, although the endpapers do include visual and written instructions on how to tie a sari in the traditional manner. Overall, the text feels a bit vague and random, and it is unclear whether a sari is a multi-purpose object or whether the children are simply playing with saris in different ways. The accompanying collages, which combine photographs of saris with drawings and paintings of Indian children, are generally appealing but sometimes awkward. Nonetheless, readers whose mothers wear saris will find something familiar here and identify with the youngsters pictured, while others may find their interest piqued. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-7358-2101-1

Page Count: 28

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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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)

Pub Date: June 9, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Rich Deas

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by Jimmy Fallon & Jennifer Lopez ; illustrated by Andrea Campos

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Jimmy Fallon Christmas Book Coming This Fall

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LOLA LOVES STORIES

From the Lola & Leo series

by Anna McQuinn & illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2010

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Lola’s daddy takes her to the library every Saturday, where she finds “excellent books,” and every night her mommy or daddy reads them to her. The next day Lola acts out the story. On Sunday she’s a fairy princess; on Monday she takes her toy animals “on fantastic trips to places like Paris”; on Wednesday she’s a tiger, etc. Each new book and day provides Lola with a variety of tales to play out, with the last one—which is about a wild monster—posing the question, “What will Lola be tomorrow?” The final page shows her in a wolf suit just like Max’s. The library books, the pretending and the incorporation of the days of the week work together as a simple and pleasing premise. Beardshaw’s acrylic illustrations depict the multicultural kids and Lola’s black family with childlike charm, while the title will have librarians, parents and booksellers smiling. Alert: The book will be an invitation for lap kids to follow Lola’s lead—not such a bad thing. (Picture book. 3-5)