Weak messaging sadly leads to sour notes.
Standing solo can be tough.
Elephant’s favorite class is music (because she likes being part of the crowd), but when Ms. Gator, the music teacher, announces that everyone will be performing a solo piece, Elephant’s anxiety causes her to worry so much that she grows to dislike the class, Ms. Gator, her French horn, and music. Thankfully, the other students are there to help, and they volunteer to play her solo with her. This gives Elephant the courage to both mention that she composed her own song and to teach it to the class. The story wants to do a lot but suffers from shallow messaging. Sure, Elephant finally has the courage to share more of herself, but her anxiety isn’t proactively addressed by the other characters, who clearly see how unhappy she is—Tiger dismisses her concerns, saying, “It’s just a small recital,” while Grandpa tells her, “Sometimes we need to push ourselves.” The digital illustrations do their best to distract from the hollow story, as the characters are delightfully designed and extremely expressive, but the art can’t quite make up for the issues with the narrative. Regardless of anxiety level, readers will agree that the strongest takeaway here is that Ms. Gator seems like a real jerk. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Weak messaging sadly leads to sour notes. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-309320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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